Wielding Chains
by IdolsAndAnchors
Summary: Between girls, school, clubbing and the Chuunin Exams, Kiba wasn't in the mood to have a fourth team member thrown upon him. The stubborn weapon wielder Hotaru wasn't keen on the idea either and definitely made it obvious. But amidst the tension and constant bickering, are the two unlikely lovers able to form a relationship? Or will it be over before it's even started? KibaxOC.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Don't kill me, I'm starting yet another story. I'm horrible.**

**Actually, I found this story on my old FicWad account. So I decided since it was already written, to just re -edit and see how it goes on here. It's KibaxOC. She's a badass but, so give her a chance.**

**There'll also be numerous couples throughout. I also altered the story line a bit. For example, everyone is 16/17 when they take the Chunin exams, not 12. Its also modernized. (texting, ipods, etc.)**

**I'll finish all my other stories eventually, I promise. Except 'Konoha Jawline' probably. Didn't get as much response as I hoped too on that one. But oh well!**

**Enjoy guys.**

* * *

"I DON'T want to go back there. Why the hell aren't any of you listening?"

Hotaru's frustration itched within her. The fiery red head continued to follow behind her parents as they made there way through the thick Leaf Village forest. It was late afternoon, the sun had only a few hours left before it finally hid behind the clouds. Both Hotaru and her parents had sweat which lined their foreheads as their bodies began to tire. The air was muggy, sticky almost, but the three continued to jump from branch to branch in order to make their scheduled arrival at Konoha. Hotaru's stomach squirmed with unwanted butterflies as her attempts to persuade her parents had failed yet again.

"You know you have to Hotaru, I'm not going through this with you again. You think this is just affecting you?" Hotaru's father scowled from in front of her. "Well news flash kiddo, it isn't."

"I can stay and help. I honestly don't know why you're doing this to me; I don't need qualifications to protect our village, I've been fighting since I was four!"

Her father stopped in his tracks, the reasonably large man casting a shadow over his daughter as he stood over her. Hotaru, being as stubborn as she was, didn't stand down from staring him in the eye. Her jaw clenched as she continued to glare up at him whilst attempting to hold back tears as best as she could.

To see his daughter be so resenting towards something cast a wave of sadness over the weapon wielder. His deep brown eyes could see her sadness, and could also see her point. He knew his daughter was strong; she had grown up with three older brothers and had accompanied him on missions many times before, even if she was only a Genin. But he knew his daughter needed to grow. She needed to explore, she needed to learn the ways of stronger towns and cities, and she needed to be _safe_. Safe and away from the chaos that had swarmed his town. His wife knew all of this to, and it killed the both of them to make such a decision.

"Hotaru... You don't understand that your mother and I are doing this for your own safety. It's too dangerous back home for you to stay there, and going back to the Leaf for a while will be the best option for you. The education system there is incredible. Trains will take you wherever you need to go. Sensei's that will teach you marvellous things. You will develop your skills to a higher level, and you'll be safe."

"And it hurts me and your father to do this, to leave you behind..." Her mother added. The wind tossed her burgundy hair slightly over her face. The red head noticed tears glistening from her mothers deep green eyes.

Hotaru was trying her hardest to fight back tears. She hated appearing weak, especially at a time where she was trying to prove she was strong. "But I can look after myself, please... I don't want to go..."

"I don't understand," her father exclaimed. "You used to love the Leaf Village, back when you attended the academy there. Why is it now, you are fretting to go back?" his voice was quiet as he waited for her reply. His heart ached as he saw the sadness in her eyes.

"Aw gee I don't know, dad. Maybe because I was seven years old? I don't even fucking remember the academy anymore. That's why." Her sarcasm was beyond obvious.

"Watch your mouth kiddo."

Hotaru swallowed her anger before continuing. "I have friends back at Weaponry Canyons that I may never see again, nine years of memories that are all going to be forgotten because I'm going back to the place I thought we left behind a long, long time ago. We should be able to call one place and one place only our home."

Her mother walked over to her, cupping her hand gently. Hotaru pulled it from her grasp instantly. She could see the hurt in her mother's eyes when she did it. "Some things just don't work out in certain places, Hotaru. When you're old enough, you'll realize that."

She didn't answer. Hotaru knew she was fighting a losing battle; nothing she said was convincing her parents at all. She trailed a few meters behind them for the rest of the way. Her feet ached from traveling, and even though she wasn't at all excited about living back at Konoha, she liked the idea of having trains. Weaponry Canyons was way to rural to ever have anything like that.

A soft, familiar wind caressed her face as she followed the track into the opening. The red head glanced up and saw the large, recognizable gates at the entrance of the village. It felt like an eternity since she waved goodbye to those gates, and all of a sudden she was walking straight back through them again.  
Hotaru noticed a Chunin standing at the entrance, looking at her and her parents whilst waving them over. He had dark brown lengthy hair, with a very handsome figure. a small stick hung from his mouth. _Well, at least the men are good looking, _she thought to herself as she approached him_. I cant see anything else being to great about this piece of shit town. _The three ninja's approached him, and Hotaru knew by the look on her father's face that he recognized the Chunin.

"Hotaru, this is Genma. He's a student at the university, and will be accompanying you to your apartment and showing you around Konoha." Her father smiled warmly, but it wasn't enough to put a smile back on her face.

"Why do I need showing around? I used to love this place, remember? It was so wonderful and fun, yayy."

Hotaru folded her arms against her chest and rolled her eyes. Her father hated her sarcasm. "Ooh, a feisty one hey? You'll fit in just fine, Red." Genma winked in her direction.

An awkward silence filled the air, and Hotaru noticed immediately that her dad wasn't too fussed on Genma's flirting habits. Ignoring him, he turned to face his little girl. "Your mother and I can't stay Hotaru. I know this seems like a huge ask, but how about dropping the attitude and at least give us a proper goodbye."

She hated it when her dad used her sarcasm, but hey, she had to inherit it from someone. She didn't budge, but her mother and father hugged her anyway. She could feel the warmth of her mother's tears on her neck. "We'll be back in a few months to check in on you. It may be a bit longer, but we'll definitely visit eventually. We'll miss you kiddo."

"Yeah, I bet." She mumbled.

Her dad embraced her one last time, before turning away hand in hand with his wife. They didn't bother looking back as they darted off into the bush; the vision of leaving their only daughter behind was to much for them to bare.

"Well, we better get going; I still have to show you where you will be living and introduce you to your team members. Loosen up Red; it ain't all that bad."

She didn't want to admit it, but she did like Genma. He appeared friendly, handsome, and by the look of his vest, talented. But one person wasn't enough to change her opinion. "Yeah, I bet it will be fantastic." She mumbled as she followed the brunette through the large entry gates. "Tell me where to get a good feed around here, I'm starved."

* * *

Kiba, Shino and Hinata stood around a large tree in the middle of the training ground, waiting on Kurenai's arrival. It was sunny, the sky a clear blue. A soft wind gently blew through the village, taking away the heat of the afternoon sun.

"Far out, where the hell is Kurenai? What was so important that it couldn't wait till tomorrow." Kiba said as he leaned against the tree. His hands rested comfortably behind his head. "It better be worth it. I could be beating Naruto's ass at Xbox right now, not standing around doing nothing."

"It's got me thinking," said Shino, as he placed his hands in the pocket of his jacket. "Maybe it might be an important mission, or another complaint about Homeroom. Shizune has been on our asses about attendance lately."

"Maybe, but that's something that could have waited until class. What do you think it will be Hinata?" Kiba asked as he glanced over at the shy Hyuga. She twiddled her fingers nervously as she looked down at the ground.

'I-I'm not quite s-sure... but I-I hope it isn't bad..."

"Well I can assure you it's not something too bad," said a voice from behind them. The team of three turned around to see their Sensei standing behind them, waiting for their attention.

"Well? What's the news?" asked Kiba impatiently.

Kurenai's expression was serious; her ruby eyes each eyeing the three individuals. "Well, its not another attendance complaint from Shizune, so you can forget about that one." She inhaled before beginning again. "Last week I was given news from your principal Lady Tsunade that a new Genin from Weaponry Canyon's will be moving to Konoha . I was told this morning in a meeting with the Hokage that she will be assigned to Team 8 as a fourth member."

"What!?" Kiba yelled as he unfolded his arms from the back of his head. "A fourth member? I thought there was only meant to be three to a team? And from a different town? No way!"

"I'm sorry Kiba, but the decision has already been made. She will be joining us in training tomorrow morning." Kurenai tried to reply as calmly as she could. She knew the Inuzuka had a hot head, and the last thing she wanted was to have him dummy spitting before the Chunin exams. His grades at the high school Genin Program were already looking glum; he needed this practical examination to go as planned if he wanted to continue to become a Ninja.

"But Kurenai Sensei," said Shino curiously, "The Chunin exams are only two days away."

"Yeah, exactly! How are we meant to form a team bond and accept a new team member from a different village within two days?" Kiba was beginning to get mad. _Aww man, this sucks! Another team member? It's just going to be a giant fuckin' pain...  
_

"If you were a true ninja, you would have the ability to learn and except a team member, and ignore any faults or previous mistakes he or she has made in the past. If you three can't do that, then I'm not sure what kind of future you have ahead of you."

Kiba rolled his eyes. "Great..." he mumbled to himself quietly. "But I have just one more thing to say,"

"What is it Kiba..." replied Kurenai, rolling her eyes.

"Not only do I think the idea is stupid, it's also unfair. Having an extra member may slow us down in the Chunin exams; it may keep us all from passing. It will be like looking after a little kid, we'll always have to watch out for it because it's so inexperienced and unproven. It will only drag us down, and that's not fair!"

"But Kiba, having an extra member may also be a good thing. At least we will have that extra person to help us out in battle." Shino replied, trying his hardest to point out the positives.

"But it could also be the complete opposite! She could be the reason we lose our fights, because she doesn't have a clue what she's doing!"

"Calm down Kiba." Kurenai was starting to raise her voice. "It doesn't matter what you say, the decision is final. And trust me, I've read this girls profile and she has had plenty of experience on and off the battle field. She also used to attend the academy with all of you back when she was seven years old, so she is somewhat familiar with the village. She seems like a pretty talented Genin, and I also think she is going to prove you very wrong, Kiba."

_Yeah, well we will just have to wait and see wont we... _With that said, Kurenai gave the team a time and place to meet the next day, before leaving the team to do as they wish. Hinata said goodbye before going back to her Hyuga residence. Shino had to leave with his dad to go on an important mission, leaving Kiba and Akamaru to themselves. "Well I don't know about you boy, but I don't like this arrangement at all."

* * *

_This sucks. The apartment stinks, the landlords a complete jerk and I know no one ..._

Hotaru threw her bag on to her bed and started to unpack all her stuff. After finishing her tour around the village, Genma showed the red head to her apartment and left her to do as she likes. The tour around the village wasn't that bad, in fact it hadn't really changed at all. The academy still looked the same, the streets were just how they used to be and the shops and stalls were just as she remembered.

She just couldn't seem to enjoy herself though. A wave of home sickness washed over her like a rug, making her long for her parents. She felt bad about not giving them a proper goodbye. She just wanted them to hug her one more time, and tell her that everything was going to be OK.

Hotaru picked up a letter which was on her bed. On it had details and a map of a training field, and below it in small printed writing was a few directions on where she had to meet her new team members. Beneath the letter was a book of study notes that had been specially formatted so she could catch up on everything the students had been studying. Again, her stomach filled with a nervous squirm. _Training I'll be okay with. Attending the university to study will be a pain. Especially when I don't know anyone!_

A million thoughts ran through her head. Usually Hotaru was the confident type, and never questioned her abilities or decisions. But this time it was different, this time it mattered a lot more seeing that the Chunin exams were only two days away.

By the time she finished unpacking all her stuff, it was about 9 o clock. Her jade green eyes were growing tired and she decided it was time to get some rest. She tried to settle her stomach as her mind thought about the new team mates she would be meeting in the morning.

* * *

As the alarm echoed through the tiny apartment, Hotaru dragged herself out of bed to shut it off with a thud. She sat up in bed, her messy red hair hanging over her face, staring at the ground. There it was again, that nervous feeling swarming in her stomach. _Get it together Hotaru; you'll be stuck here for at least a year. You need to accept all of this, because it isn't going to change any time soon._

The Weaponry Canyon Genin got up and changed into her normal training clothes; black Nin pants, with black Nin sandals and her dark red singlet top. The singlet top fitted snugly around her flat stomach and was a shade darker than her hair. She gave her hair a quick brush, had a quick breakfast which consisted of jam on toast, then brushed her teeth. She grabbed her two wielding chains and strapped them to her pants. She didn't bother getting all dressed up; she had no one to impress but herself.  
After finally getting ready, she grabbed her gear and the directions on the letter and headed down to the training field. It wasn't a very sunny day as thick grey clouds covered the sky and hid the sun's rays behind them. People from the village wondered the streets, gazing at shops and looking at the Weaponry Genin strangely. At first she didn't know why they were looking at her, but then she realized why. She was a new face to the village and unfamiliar. She just shrugged it off, not letting the situation get to her more than it already had. She didn't care what anyone thought of her, and if they were to have a problem she would kindly deal with them. Well, maybe not so _kindly_, as she was in no mood to put up with anyone's shit.

Hotaru neared the training field, her eyes catching glance of four figures standing beneath a tree. Two of them seemed to look like girls, and the other two boys. As she neared the tree, she realized that one of the females was her Sensei. She looked nice enough, but Hotaru wouldn't go making any positive assumptions of people until she had actually met them.

The other girl appeared shy, withdrawn even, as Hotaru made her way towards them even further. She wore dark blue pants and had long, black hair. Her eyes were very distinctive, Hotaru recognized them almost immediately from the stories that were told back at Weaponry Canyon's. They were the eyes of the Hyuga clan. Hotaru tried to remember seeing this girl back when she was at the academy, but no memories came to mind.

The other team member was a rather tall boy with a light green/grey coat and dark tinted glasses. His hands rested comfortably in his pockets as he watched her walk over.

The second boy wasn't quite as tall as the other, but still tall none-the-less. He had dark brown untamed hair, tanned skin, and two upside down triangles on either side of his cheeks. The triangles were almost as red as Hotaru's hair. She instantly thought he was attractive, but she wasn't going to let that affect her judgment of the group. Strangely enough she recognised him from when she went to the academy; he was always skipping class with a boy called Naruto. She was starting to get angry at herself as her inner girl was trying to break out of its cage. _He is fiiine_, she continued to think to herself.

"Good morning Hotaru, welcome to Team eight."A woman with deep black hair stood before her. She took a few steps towards the red head and held out her hand. Hotaru forced a smile and shook it, whilst saying hello back. "These will be the people you will be spending most of your time with whilst you reside here in Konoha. This here is Hinata Hyuga, the boy to your right is Shino Abrume, and the other boy there is Kiba Inuzuka."  
Hotaru didn't shake their hands. She looked at each and nodded, still ignoring the fact that one of her team mates was so good looking. Kurenai looked at her newly formed team, before breaking the awkward silence. "So you're the quiet type I see," she said, folding her arms.

"I'm not quiet. There's just nothing really to say."

"Well, a hello wouldn't go astray," said Kiba, folding his arms. "After all, we didn't really get a choice to accept you into this team, so maybe you should try getting to know us seeing that the Chunin exams are tomorrow."

His voice was filled with annoyance. It was quite clear that he didn't want her in his group, and that he wasn't going to put up with anyone's shit.

"Well what am I meant to do, dog boy? Bow at your feet or something?" Hotaru retorted, eyeing the puppy beside him and crossing her arms.

Kiba growled. "Is this girl serious?" he replied, looking at Kurenai. "Ask us about how this team works, our abilities, our weaknesses- anything! Just because you're new, doesn't mean this team will revolve around you. Cos' right now, you aren't making a great first impression."

"Kiba." Shino interrupted, trying to calm him down. He looked at the Inuzuka as if to say stop, and fortunately the Inuzuka obeyed, narrowing his eyes to the side.

Hotaru didn't say anything in an attempt to avoid making the situation worse than it already was. It was obvious Kiba didn't want her on his team, and in all fairness, Hotaru didn't want to be on it ether. She wanted to go back to her village, with her old friends, with her old life. "Are we done?" The red head snorted at Kurenai.

"Listen Hotaru, tomorrow means a lot to these three Genin. They have worked really hard to get here, and they aren't going to let some snotty little kid slow them down."

Hotaru stood there in shock.

"You won't be leaving just yet; today will also be our first training session. They need to know how you move, your strong and weak points and your attitude towards this whole concept. The training will begin now."

The Weaponry Canyon raised girl didn't bother arguing, but instead nodded. Her anger subsided, and in its place exchanged a sickly smirk. "Fine," she grabbed at her waist, pulling the two uneven length wielding chains and gripping them in her hands. The chakra infused metal clashed on the ground. "Show me what you're all made of."

* * *

**R&R! :)  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I apologize if any of my spelling is horrible in this chapter. Its my first story that moderately follows the story line; I'm not too sure if the words are even spelled correctly haha. Oh well, I'll find out soon enough. Please drop a review by! would love to hear what you think so far.**

* * *

"You may start."

Kurenai, Kiba and Hinata watched from the sidelines as Shino and the fiery red head charged towards each other. Shino was the first to land a hit, connecting a solid punch to Hotaru's right shoulder. Once the girl had steadied herself Shino went for another hit to her face. She thought quickly and ducked low to the ground, using her leg to wipe Shino's feet out from under him. The boy with the mysterious shades fell hard upon his back. He winced as he tried to get his breath back, feeling the effects after landing firmly on his back.

Once Hotaru had the upper hand, she reached for her waist.

"Not yet Hotaru. Begin with Taijutsu only." Kurenai stood with her arms folded and continued to study her carefully. She had read up on the talent that Hotaru was capable of with those chains. She needed to study her full form before she let the wielder use her specialty.

"What are those attached to her waist?" Kiba asked as he secretly cheered Shino on within his head. He watched as the bug host went to kick her, but unfortunately missed.

"Wielding chains." Kurenai replied, still intently watching the spar. "A weapon selected ecspecially for Hotaru by her MeijinKage."

"What do they do? C'mon, let her use them. I wanna see if this girl is as good as she makes herself out to be."

Shino landed a punch to her chest. Hotaru gritted her teeth in pain before grasping his wrist and twisting it, causing Shino to flip on to his side.

"Wielding chains are a very difficult weapon to master. Each chain varies extensively in length, and contains serrated edges on each side." Shino pulled free from the red heads grip and quickly pulled himself off of the ground. "The first chain, which is held in her left hand, is used for long distance offence. The chain has a length of eight metres and as you can imagine, wouldn't be light to carry around."

Hotaru landed a four-punch-combo to Shino's stomach before finishing with a solid kick to his face.

"The offence chain is used to slice, grip, drag, cut and hold enemy's at a distance without letting them get to close. The second chain, which she controls with her right hand, is used for close distance defence. It works wonders in close combat tai-jutsu. Tell me, what are the advantages of having such a chain wrapped around the opponents limbs?" Kurenai wasn't going to feed information to her students. She needed them to work out and manipulate situations in their heads if they were to become strong Chunin.

"…S-she has control of their limb. It's unusable," Hinata stuttered as she pieced the question together.

"Exactly Hinata. And what chance does an enemy have if he only has control of one arm? Or one leg?"

Kiba could feel his sensei staring at him for a reply, but he wasn't going to give it. He knew the answer, but he didn't want to give any credit to this girls abilities. He didn't like her at all.

"They can't perform hand signals f-for Jutsu's," Hinata finally answered, "A-and they're off balanced."

Kurenai smiled. "Perfect answer."

Shino grabbed Hotaru's arm as she swung for his stomach again. He was finding it very difficult to keep up with her immense speed, but the blows she did manage to land didn't hurt him as much as a punch from Kiba would. He put this down to her small size, but even with her having such a petite build, he really did underestimate her strength. He held her arm in place before using his left arm to land a blow to her stomach. She bent over as her stomach took the hit, and Shino used his knee to knee her face. Shino released her arm and the red head stumbled back before correcting herself and wiping the blood from her nose.

_She's still not down?_ The bug master thought as he kept his mouth from dropping. _That knee to the head would have made someone as tough as Lee dizzy. And yet, she still comes straight back with so much speed._

The Chain wielder was starting to become angry. This ninja was stronger than she thought, and even though she had landed twice as many blows to him than he had to her, he just wouldn't stay down. If this was any of the boys from her old village, she would have won the battle ten minutes ago. She clenched her fists before charging again.

"C'mon Shino, she can't be that hard…" Kiba mumbled. It was annoying him to see this girl have the upper hand. He hardly recognized his own arrogance, but could sense immense amounts of it within her.

Kurenai continued to watch closely. The girls Taijutsu was impressive; hell, it was almost as quick and accurate as Kiba's. The ruby eyed woman glanced at Kiba's face and chuckled to herself as his expression tightened with annoyance. _I think he knows that she's almost level with him, too._

"Let Shino use his bugs already. This spar needs to be over and done with, don't forget we still have that chemistry assignment Yamato gave us. Assignments don't do themselves, Sensei."

"Come on Kiba, I know how rare it is for you to complete an assignment. Training or no training, we both know that assignment was never getting done tonight."

Hinata giggled from behind them, secretly agreeing with her sensei. She had known the possible future Inuzuka heir ever since the academy. He showed promise back in those days, despite the fact he used to bludge class a lot with his friends. Apart from his constant class skipping, he never struggled with the tasks the academy students had to complete. It was only basic weapon control, simple transformation jutsu's and village history, but he was fine with it. Ever since they were appointed Genin and forced to study in high school, however, Kiba lacked concentration. High school consisted of more general theory classes and focussed on team relations and basic knowledge rather than the whole practical ninja side of things. Kiba just wanted nothing more than to be in the university completing real missions, and focussing purely on the art of becoming a Ninja. He just didn't want to do the work to get there.

Hinata flinched when she saw Shino go skidding through the dirt along his back. She knew Taijustsu wasn't his strongest attribution.

"Get up, man! What's happening to you!" Kiba called from the sideline. "Use your bugs already!"

"Well tell Kurenai to hurry up and let me," the Aburame replied through exhausted breaths. His body couldn't continue to fight only taijutsu any longer. It was Shino's weakest of the three, and even though he was holding his own in the spar against Hotaru, he knew she was more advanced at it than he was. He glanced towards his sensei, who nodded in approval.

With a few swift hand signals, Hotaru watched as a swarm of black beetles seeped through the sleeves of Shino's coat. She skidded to a halt immediately and ceased charging. _What the hell are those!_

"Insect Clone technique!" Shino yelled. His creepy voice echoed slightly within the field. Hotaru's eyes widened as she watched the small black bugs create an exact clone of Shino, before both charging towards her.

"That's more like it," Kiba mumbled as he was about to get the relief of watching Hotaru lose. A small smirk settled upon his face.

Hotaru had to think quick. She grabbed her offence chain, hurling it with a severing speed at one of the Shino's. It went to wrap around the body, but as soon as it touched the skin the bugs dispersed, letting the chain fall to the ground before they reformed again and continued to charge.

_So the one on the left is the fake._ Hotaru yanked her Offence chain back in her direction, dispersing the bugs once again as the chain cut through the clone from behind. She caught it in her hand and watched as Shino continued to charge. "A little closer…" She waited until Shino was a few metres away before putting together a hand signal. "Wind style, Serrated Blade Jutsu!" she swung the longest chain around her head in one swift, lasso type movement. A gush of wind went flying in Shino's direction. The wind was sharp, forming small laceration on the bug masters face. The cuts stung like hell, but it wasn't enough to knock him off his feet.

The bug clone on the other hand, dealt with the wind just as Hotaru had hoped. The wind was strong enough to separate the bugs in one movement, blowing them further and further away from each other as they tried to reform. With the clone down, Hotaru quickly pulled out her defensive chain and hurled it sharply around Shino's right wrist which was coming towards her face. The chain connected, wrapping tightly around the palm, and once it was linked Hotaru yanked it towards the ground. With a sharp jolt, Shino's body followed, and Hotaru climbed on top of him for the pin.

She panted heavily, not quite exhausted, but sore and tired. "I win, bug boy."

Hotaru couldn't see it, but Shino smirked beneath his collar. "Not quite."

Before she could even comprehend what Shino had said, she was tackled to the ground by a third bug clone that she had not picked up on. It held her down as Shino stood over her. She struggled and kicked beneath its grip but it was no use. He had her pinned.

"I win."

"That's enough you two, let's call it a day." Kurenai walked over to the pair, followed by a pleased Kiba and a quiet Hinata.

"Yahoo! I knew you had it in the bag! She never had a chance!" Kiba yelled as he jogged towards them. As he neared, he noticed how bruised and exhausted Shino was. The bug hosts' hands trembled with fatigue as he struggled harshly to get his breath back.

The bugs disseminated from Hotaru's arms and returned within Shino's clothing. She got up quickly and brushed herself off, her jaw clenched with anger and frustration. She could not believe she didn't pick up on the third clone, yet alone lose.

Both Kurenai and Kiba quickly scanned there eyes over the embarrassed red head. She barely looked anywhere near exhausted. Her nose was bleeding slightly, there was a small graze above her eyebrow and a small bruise forming within the centre of her chest, but apart from that, the soon to be Weaponry Canyon Kunoichi looked fine. Kiba frowned and tried to convince himself that Shino's win was easy, and not _lucky_.

"That was an excellent battle, the both of you." Kurenai looked at her current and newly joined students with pride. "I have no doubt that the both of you, including Hinata and Kiba, will do fine throughout the Chunin exams."

"Yeah well lets not get ahead of ourselves Kurenai, you haven't seen us work together as a _team _yet." He shot Hotaru a jagged stare. Hotaru caught the glance and balled her fists.

"Well I'll find that out tomorrow, won't I?" she glanced quickly at her watch. "I have to get going. I have a pile of math homework to mark, with the exception of yours, Mr Inuzuka."

The brunette smirked smugly and cheekily bit his lip, knowing he had never handed in math homework in his life. It annoyed Kurenai that he was almost proud about it. There was something about watching his canine bite down on his lower lip that made Hotaru's stomach drop a little. _Wake up to yourself Hotaru; he's a jerk._

"If you're all so worried about how you will fair as a team tomorrow, maybe spend the rest of the day getting to know each other. That includes _everyone_, even you Kiba."

The brunette rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"And I'd like you to pop around to the hospital to get that bruise on your chest looked at Hotaru, just in case." Kurenai waved a final goodbye before a poof was heard, and she disappeared. All four of the sixteen year olds felt like pulling a pair of scissors from their pants so they could cut the awful tension and silence which had drifted between them.

Hinata twiddled her fingers, her heart pounding against her chest at how awkward the situation was. She was terrified to speak or say anything, but she wanted to do something to break the tension. There team would not fair well at all if this was how they were going to act tomorrow.

Thankfully, before Hinata worked out what she was going to say, Shino spoke up. "That was a good match, Hotaru. Your previous village trained you well."

The red head rolled her eyes and finished hooking both of her chains to her waist. "What do you mean, 'previous' village? Weaponry Canyon's is still my home. Let me get this straight; I'm not a leaf village shinobi. I've come to graduate and that's it, don't get it confused."

Kiba was the first to retort, which didn't surprise Hinata or Shino. "Oh get real, Hotaru. Newsflash; you were born in Konoha. You have leaf blood. Trust me, if it was up to me, I'd send you straight back to Weaponry Canyon's. We don't necessarily need you; we were doing just fine before you came. So don't feel so special."

"What ever dog boy," the red head turned around to leave. "I'll see you all tomorrow. Hopefully the mutt has had a bath; he reeks of Baka and egotism." She began to walk back to the center of Konoha.

Shino managed a small chuckle, but kept it from Kiba's ears. He knew the Inuzuka would not settle to kindly with any of his team mates taking a liking to Hotaru. He could agree with Kiba in a way. Hotaru was a little egotistic and rude. But Shino knew that there would be good reason for that, and didn't want to make any assumptions of her just yet. Time would bring the team together.

"Ugh, I'm outta here. You comin', Shino?"

"But Kurenai asked us to b-bond with Hotaru," Hinata said quietly, almost at a whisper. "K-Kiba, I thought you would want to work as a team for a few hours."

Kiba scoffed. "What, with that thing?" He motioned his head towards Hotaru, who was now almost out of sight. "No thanks, I'll pass."

Team eight didn't talk the matter through any further. They said their goodbyes, and Hinata headed off to the Hyuga residence while Shino and Kiba headed to Naruto's. "You know Kiba," Shino started, now that he had the strength back to talk more. "Hotaru is no push over. I think her being on this team is a good thing."

"No way. I don't mean to sound like a dick or anything Shino, but she was only slightly better than you at Taijutsu. No offence, but your Taijutsu isn't real good. Which means hers isn't too great either."

"That's where you're wrong, Kiba." The Aburame didn't take any offence to the Brunettes comment. He knew his Taijutsu wasn't as good as it should be. "She was holding back. My bugs could feel it."

"I highly doubt it. She was coming at you pretty aggressively."

Shino shook his head. "She was unbelievably quick. Because of her speed, she didn't take the time to make her hits as solid as they could be. I think what Kurenai said before the match, all that stuff about us really wanting this Chunin position, scared her a little bit. She didn't want to hurt me too bad before the exam."

"But none of that matters. Even if she did go all out with those chains of hers, she never picked up on your third clone."

"Did you pick up on my third clone, Kiba?"

The brunette thought for a while before answering. 'Well no, but-"

"That's because there never was one. My bugs were taken way back by that jutsu of hers, it wasn't until she had my wrist in that darn chain that I knew I was finished, and used the last of my bugs to make a third on the sly. I was stuffed; the last clone really took it out of me." The bug nin put his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "If she wriggled out of that pin, I would have been done for. It was only luck that she couldn't."

Kiba curled his lip, bearing his upper canine just a little bit. He didn't want to believe his team mate. He wasn't keen on having a fourth member at all; Kiba wasn't a fan of change. He and his clan were accustomed to routine, and this was just throwing fire into the mix. Also, somewhere within Kiba knew how poor his efforts had been throughout high school. There were limited spots available for the Ninja university, and he was relying purely on his practical ninja work and his status within his clan to be accepted. Having someone who could possibly dint his chances wasn't what he needed right now.

"And those chains," Shino started again. "They're really something. It's offense and defense all at once."

"Shut up already, "he replied to the bug nin. He didn't want to talk about it any longer, as it was already playing on his mind too much as it was. "Let's get to Naruto's. Maybe you'll get two wins today; he's pretty fucking awful at Xbox."

* * *

Hotaru walked through the village, trying hard to remember where Genma told her the hospital was.

"You look a little confused Red?"

Hotaru jumped at the sound of his voice. She glanced beside her to see Genma walking next to her, his ever present stick being chewed on between his teeth.

"I don't want to admit it, but I totally forgot where the hospital was." She didn't mind talking to Genma. He was nice, and even though she had been overly sarcastic, mean and rude to him when he gave her a tour of the village yesterday, he still came back with a smile. It wasn't a sexual attraction, but it was one of friendship. Even though she was purposely being cold towards everyone, she knew she needed at least one person to depend on. She didn't realize how much she depended on her parents comfort until now.

"Maybe you didn't catch a glimpse of it because you were too busy rolling your eyes yesterday."

Hotaru punched him in the arm in jest, before trying to hide her smile. "Shut up idiot, just show me where the hospital is."

"Can I ask why you need to go there? You don't seem to be hurt." He scanned his eyes over Hotaru looking for an injury. He noticed the swelling bruise in the centre of her chest. "Oh, that thing? It looks like nothing."

"That's what I thought, but Kurenai sensei insisted I get it checked out."

Genma nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she's probably right. After all the first stage of the Chunin exams is tomorrow and you don't really want it to get any worse. By the way, who was it that gave you the bruiser?"

Hotaru's head dropped as she reminded herself of her loss. Her first fight in the village, and she gave off a weak impression. She knew it was going to play on her mind all night. "Shino Aburame."

"Ahh, the bug nin." Genma continued to walk beside her. "I thought it might have been the Inuzuka kid."

"Ew, don't even get me started on that stupid mutt." The red head rolled her eyes. "Who's grand idea was it to put me on a team with him?"

"Not mine, so settle down kiddo." Referring to her as kiddo made her heart ache for her mum and dad. "So what's so wrong with the Inuzuka boy anyway? He might just be the next head of their clan, so I wouldn't get on his bad side, Red." Genma laughed.

"I don't care what he is. If it wasn't for the others wanting the Chunin position within the University so bad, I would have fought him as well today, and maybe rip out those teeth of his whilst I was at it." Her fists clenched at the thought of him. "And he kept rubbing the battle right in my face; if they only knew that I wasn't trying to go all out, and that I could have- Ugh, he's such a jerk!"

"Oh, so threatening." He flicked the side of her head and smiled.

"Hey! Quit it! Just tell me where this dam hospital is."

"We arrived approximately two minutes ago red. You were so caught up in raging about your Inuzuka you failed to notice."

Her face turned a warm shade of pink before she flipped him off.

"If I don't see you before tomorrow, good luck. And let me know how you went!" He waved goodbye before continuing to walk the rest of the street.

"Now, time to get this stupid bruise checked out." Hotaru breathed deeply before entering the hospital.


	3. Chapter 3

Kurenai knocked lightly on the Hokage's wooden door which led to his office. She waited only a few moments before she was welcomed in.

"Kurenai," the old man said with a warm smile. "What brings you here on this fine day?"

The ruby eyed woman took a seat on the other side of his desk. "It's about Hotaru and Team eight, sir. I've come to ask a few questions."

The Third searched through the papers on his desk, knowing full well that he had placed Hotaru's Genin profile on there somewhere. His desk was swarmed with proposals, inquiries, mission requests and reports. Kurenai knew that the sudden increase of forms was due to the most recent status update regarding the Chunin exams. Suna were no longer holding their own separate exam for their students and genin from neighbouring villages due to the poor results received from the Suna High School Genin Program. Not enough students had achieved the required marks to attend the Chunin exams in the Sand Village, which meant the Leaf was now the only host. This also meant vigorous preparations had to be made in such a little amount of time.

"Ah, here it is." The old man licked his thumb before flicking through the profile. "Hotaru Ataturi. Born in Konoha, status transfer to Weaponry Canyon's when she was seven, youngest sister of three older brothers, employs the wielding chains as selected by her Meijinkage. Sixteen years old, doesnt handle heat well, weakest at genjutsu, graduated as Genin in Suna and now residing in the leaf temporarily due to possible village invasion. How was her first day, Kurenai?"

"Mixtures of good and bad, sir." The dark haired woman replied.

The old man continued to search through the red heads profile. "And why is this? By the looks of her profile, it deems Hotaru to be quite a capable little Genin."

"She is strong. Her Taijutsu is beyond the student average. From what I saw of her Ninjutsu, it seems to be reasonable. Nothing too extravagant. It's her communication within her team that I'm worried about."

The old mans eyebrow's raised, the wrinkles on his forehead becoming even more prominent. "Communication?" he asked. "Is she having troubles with her team mates?"

"You could say that. I know what I'm about to propose may be extremely out of order, but I was wondering if we could postpone the Chunin exams by a week."

"Postpone the exams?" The third shook his head in disagreement. "Kurenai, if you think your team isn't ready to take these exams, you will have to withdraw their entry. Changing the date is an awful big task simply because of one person not getting along with her team."

"But that's the thing, sir. I personally believe my original team of Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuga and Kiba Inuzuka are more than capable of passing these exams." She furrowed her eyebrows as she continued to argue her point. Kurenai was a quiet woman, but one who had the utmost utter respect and faith for her team. She wasn't going to crush their chances now. "You and I both know those three Genin have tracking skills that could even surpass those of some of our current Chunin. I have been polite enough to take on the responsibility of a fourth student which is no easy task, especially this close to the exam date."

"Go on." The Hokage nodded for Kurenai to proceed.

"If you allow me this one week, my team will be one hundred percent ready for this exam. Not just three of them, the whole four. Give Hotaru some time to settle into the School Genin Program. She is more than capable of being physically fit for this exam, but she needs to strengthen her bond with her team mates. Please don't take away their chances, sir."

The Hokage stood from his desk and slowly wondered towards his window. His old, worn out hand cradled the other hand behind his back as he gazed out the window, listening intently to the children who laughed and played below.

"Very well, Kurenai. I will consider your request." The old man turned and smiled warmly at the Genjutsu skilled Jounin. "I will have Kotetsu send out a message to the students and attending villages this afternoon. You have one week, and no more."

A smile danced across the brunettes face as she stood from her chair, offering out her hand for the Hokage to shake. "Thank you, Sarutobi Sensei. I promise you won't regret your decision, the four of them will make excellent Leaf Village Shinobi."

"I have no doubts they will," The old man laughed. "This also gives me more time to prepare the exams. I have to admit, the exams I had prepared were a little rushed after hearing we were hosting it for _all_ of the Neighbouring villages. I'm so used to sharing the teams with Suna."

Kurenai smiled warmly before giving her final goodbyes. She wished she had more time, but knew one week was all she would be able to bargain for. Deep down inside, she hoped it would be enough.

* * *

"Kiba, answer the door!"

"Fuck no you idiot, unless you pause the game I'm not answering shit."

Naruto's fingers pressed vigorously on the X-box controller as both of the seventeen year old teens focused their eyes intently on the screen.

"I can't pause the game! I'm on a comeback!" The blonde's posture was hunched over his controller.

Kiba's arms turned the controller as if he was almost driving an actual car. "Are you semi retarded? I'm almost lapping you!"

"I'll get it," Shino snapped, dragging himself off the lounge to answer the knock on Naruto's apartment door. He opened it to find Kotetsu standing their impatiently, a bag full of forms on his back, and a form in his hands.

"Kotetsu?" Shino asked, raising an eyebrow. "What brings you to Naruto's?"

"Not choice, that's for sure." The Chunin mumbled before handing the form to Shino. "There's been a change to the Chunin exams tomorrow. Every thing you need to know is written on the form, basically just go to school like normal and don't bother rocking up at Ibiki's exam room."

Shino's eyes quickly skimmed the form. "Shino, what's taking so long?" Kiba called from the living room. He had, just like he predicted, lapped Naruto in the Car racing game and won. The dog nin was waiting rather impatiently for his bug friend to verse him.

"Hang on," he yelled whilst focusing his attention back on Kotetsu. "There's no exam tomorrow? But something like this is too important to postpone."

"Wasn't my choice, kid. Hokage's orders, take it up with him. Now I have about four hundred more of these to hand out across the country side, so if you don't mind, I have to get going."

Shino nodded goodbye and watched as Kotetsu hurried out of the apartment building. The third year Chunin graduate was usually quite a calm and collected guy, from what Shino knew of him. Kotetsu along with many of the other current Chunin had been in their final year of the Genin Program when Shino and the others were only finishing their first.

Shino shut the door before heading back into the living room. He wasn't keen to break the news to Kiba or Naruto, knowing full well both of the boys weren't going to be happy with attending another week at school before the exam.

"I've got some bad news,"

"What? You're scared I'm going to beat your ass worse than I beat Naruto's?" The brunette flicked through the options as he carefully studied what car to choose.

"The Chunin exams have been postponed to next week."

Both Kiba and Naruto's head snapped at a ridiculous pace towards Shino. "WHAT!" they yelled In unison.

Shino handed them the paper. At first the two boys tugged at it, almost ripping it in half as they argued over who was going to hold it. After a few nudges and shoulders to the face, Naruto came out victor. "This is bullshit!" the blonde exclaimed.

Kiba sank back in his chair. "And here I was thinking I was going to get out of completing Shizune's Homeroom assignment."

"Kiba, all the assignment consists of is turning up and getting registered for class," Shino started. "You hand in you student ID, and that's it. It's an ongoing thing, not necessarily an assignment… If you're not there then you fail the attendance unit."

"Exactly. This dog likes a sleep in, not handing in student ID's."

Shino shook his head. Kiba was so aggressive on the field, but so lazy in his studies. "I wonder why they've decided to postpone it."

"THIS IS SO FUCKING STUPID!" the blonde bellowed, scrunching up the paper and throwing it at the television. As hard as it was to believe, Naruto hated the Genin program even more than Kiba did, and another week of school certainly wasn't going to sit well with him.

"Well, before idiot over here decided to scrunch the thing up, it said more preparation was needed for it or something." Kiba answered, scratching his messy hair.

The bug nin nodded. "Yeah, I saw that. Apparently we're the only hosts this year, that should be interesting."

Shino and Naruto continued to talk about the exam and why the Leaf was the only village who was hosting. Kiba could understand that because there was going to be a massive increase of attending students, more time would be needed for preparations. However something within him had a feeling why they were _really_ postponed.

* * *

"Can I help you, dear?"

Hotaru eyed the old woman sitting at the Medical Core reception desk. Not that Hotaru really knew anything about make up, but she knew that the bright red lipstick the woman was wearing really didn't compliment her thick head of bright orange hair.

"Uh, my sensei told me that I needed to have a bruise on my chest checked out." The red head motioned towards her chest. "It's not bad, but she insisted."

The lady leaned over the counter to get a closer look. Her thick curly hair bobbed beneath her medical cap.

"We don't have any available doctors at the moment. It's mission return day, and they're all up to their necks with injured Chunin. Would you mind coming back tonight?"

Hotaru had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She had already made the effort to come here, and she wasn't fussed on getting lost again as she attempted to come back tonight.

"I'll take a quick look at it," a pink haired girl said. She walked down the hallway and into view, nearing the reception desk. She looked around Hotaru's age, and greeted the red head with a warm, homely smile.

"Well, I guess you could," the receptionist said as she looked towards Sakura. "Are you sure your mother doesn't need your help?"

"No, she has her team working on the latest returnees whilst she is double checking all the people who arrived back this morning. I'm free, I'm sure mum wont mind if I give this girl a quick check over."

The receptionist nodded before gesturing them into the second consult room. Hotaru raised an eyebrow as the pink haired medic closed the door behind her.

"You're a new face," the pink haired girl smiled. "My name's Sakura. Are you new here?"

"Yeah, I arrived yesterday. Listen I don't mean to be rude or anything, but aren't you a little young to be a doctor?" Hotaru replied with a concerned expression.

The pinkette laughed. "Doctor in _training_, actually. Don't worry, I wont be doing any thing drastic to you, your injury only looks minor."

The pinkette continued to check Hotaru's heart beat and breathing, before she started poking and prodding around the outside of the bruise. "So, what brings you to Konoha?"

"The Chunin exams," Hotaru replied. She wasn't in the mood for talking, but knew a medic wasn't exactly the right person to snub off.

"Oh, cool! Is your team here? What village are you from?"

"Weaponry Canyon's, and no, my team isn't here. I've been assigned to a team from the leaf for personal reasons."

Sakura's expression twisted in confusion. "Wow, so you're a leaf village ninja? That's great! You'll love it here, The Genin program is great. Apparently the University program is meant to be even better, that's if we all pass the exams." She examined the bruise closely. "What team are you on?"

Hotaru clenched her teeth as the pinkette referred to her being a leaf village ninja. She was a Weaponry Canyon ninja, and it wasn't going to change. "Team eight."

"Ahh, the tracking team. Hinata is really lovely, and Shino is a good guy, even though he comes across pretty shady at times." She walked over to the bench to grab some kind of ointment from the cupboard. "Kiba on the other hand, he's great to look at, but he's a bit harder to get along with compared to the others."

"Yeah, I figured that." Hotaru glanced to the side. "Is he always a jerk?"

"Unless he's trying to get in your pants, yeah, pretty much."

Hotaru felt a little surprised when she found herself laughing. Sakura was a little bit of relief after such a disappointing day.

"Don't let me give a bad impression of him, though. The guy is extremely loyal and strong as hell. It's just a little difficult to find his good side." She handed the ointment to the red head. "Here, take this. It's an anti-inflammatory cream. It should take the swelling away after a few days, and then that chest will be good as new."

"I don't exactly have a few days, the Chunin exams are tomorrow."

Sakura raised her eyebrow. "Oh, haven't you heard? They've been postponed until next week. The Hokage needed more time to make preparations, so fortunately for us, we have a whole week of school before we take the exam yet."

Hotaru tried to make herself not look obviously confused, but it wasn't working. "Postponed? Does that mean I have to attend the Genin Program?"

"Just for a week, until you sit the exam."

"_Great_, more time with Kiba, just what I need." The red head rolled her eyes yet again. This wasn't what she wanted. It isn't what she intended. She was meant to come to Konoha purely for the Chunin exams, pass, and then study as a single individual within the university until she was allowed home. Spending more time with the arrogant dog nin was not what she signed up for. She wanted to have the whole 'team' situation done and dusted, not extended.

"Hn. Well, thanks for this anyway. So when do I apply it?"

"Morning and night for the next two or three days. I guess I'll be seeing you at school tomorrow, right?" Sakura smiled warmly.

"Yeah, I guess you will."

When Hotaru arrived home, she saw that Genma had already been informed about the exam and had dropped of the Konoha high school uniform on her bed. The black skirt and white button up T-shirt was spread neatly across her bed cover. A dark green emblem of the leaf symbol was stitched to the left of the chest.

"SKIRTS?!" the red head almost blew a fuse. Hotaru was an outright tomboy, and although her mother had tried profusely to get her into any type or skirt or dress, she had never prevailed.

In an instant she had grabbed the skirt and left the apartment, jumping from rooftop to rooftop until she reached Genma's apartment. She knocked impatiently at the door until the Chunin had answered.

"I'm not wearing this." She said bluntly, shoving the skirt into Genma's chest.

"How did I predict you were going to do this?" The Chunin laughed before holding the skirt up to examine it. "It's a bit on the short side, isn't it... Still, it'll work wonders for your figure, red."

The red head frowned as he winked at her. She was in no mood to put up with his games. "Give me a pair of your shorts. I'm not turning up to that shit school, to deal with shit people, in a shit skirt!"

"Easy there kiddo, none of my shorts will fit you."

"I don't care." With a pout, she pushed the door open and welcomed herself in to his apartment. She got a bit of a shock when she realised Genma had guests over, and she had spent the last two minutes bagging out the school.

Sitting on the lounge in the corner was a blonde girl clinging to the arm of a boy who's hair was perched in a pony tail. They both stared at her with eye brows raised.

"Hotaru, I'd like you to meet Shikamaru and Ino. These are a few of the _shit people_ who will be attending that _shit school_ with you tomorrow."

Hotaru noticed the sneaky smirk on Genma's face straight away. He was clearly holding back a laugh which was solely intended just for her. It was obvious he got enjoyment out of watching the red head purposely dis on the school both of the guests attended, and she hadn't felt so embarrassed in her life.

"You're a dick, Genma." She mumbled through a tightened jaw.

"Well it appears this dick is going to be your only friend for quite some time." He held back a laugh as he led her to his room.

"Why are you hanging out with people my age?" Hotaru questioned as soon as the bedroom door had shut behind them. "You're like, old. It looks funny."

"I'm twenty, thank you very much." The brunette opened his draw that contained all his pants. "And that boy sitting on my lounge happens to be an absolute genius. He studied in the Genin Program at my level, even though he is only your age. He only turned down taking the exams with me because of his team."

"What, he wanted to do the exam with them instead?" She flicked through the drawer of pants.

"Well, yeah, because one of his team mates is his girlfriend. As you probably already know, once you pass Genin and enter the university, you have a choice to do individual or team studies. Not many people choose team studies because when you're a Chunin, teams for missions are usually specifically made up by a selective captain." He frowned when Hotaru picked up a pair of his pyjama pants and screwed her face up. "Its very rare for the team you worked with when you were a Genin to be sent on an A, B or S ranked mission. They carefully select people individually to make up a more appropriate team."

"So he did it for love?" she through the pajama pants away before picking up a pair of jeans. "That's corny as hell."

"No, he did it because Ino wanted to spend as much time with him before they did go separate ways when they entered the university." Genma started to tidy up the mess off pants which had now been thrown all around his room. "Why do you need my pants? Surely you brought clothes with you."

"I don't have black pants. And my Sensei already thinks I'm a brat, if I go to school in the wrong uniform they'll hate me even more."

Genma laughed. "Then simple, stop being a brat."

"Stop being a dick and letting me dis the school in front of your friends!" The red head retorted.

"Haha, agreed. Now hurry up and go home. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow." The Chunin motioned for her to leave.

"I'm not walking through that room with them there!" the fiery red head scanned the room for an escape. "I'm taking the window!"

Genma laughed even harder. It was like she was the little brother he never had; annoying, funny, and a menace. The red head grabbed a black pair of sporting shorts from the bottom of the drawer. They had the leaf village symbol stitched in white at the bottom. They looked like boys PE shorts, so she agreed on them before jumping out of the window and running home.

* * *

It was nightfall now, and Kiba was walking back to the Inuzuka compound after a heavy afternoon of X-box at Naruto's. His head hurt thinking about going to school for another week, when he had already convinced himself how exciting the Chunin exams were going to be.

As he was nearing his family's estate, he heard a loud crash from in front of him. A small panicked scream was heard before Kiba picked up the pace to see what, or who, had made the noise. A familiar scent filled his nose, smelling slightly of vanilla, as he neared the area. He knew he had smelt this person before, but he couldn't quite pick who it was.

He turned into an alley to find someone covered in rubbish, holding an item of clothing in their hand and cursing at themselves angrily. Their hands brushed against themselves furiously as they attempted to rid themselves of the food scraps which covered their clothes.

"Are you okay?" The brunette asked, peering closer to the figure in the dark alley, as the person turned, he caught eye of the bright red hair and the green eyes in the dim moonlight. "Ugh, it's only you. Please, carry on falling off rooves." He scoffed as he turned around to leave.

"No one asked for your concern!" Hotaru scoffed. She peeled the last banana peel off of her shorts, before walking to climb the building again.

"Oh, I was far from concerned, don't you worry. Don't flatter yourself princess."

She pushed her way past him, storming angrily towards the front of the building. It wasn't until she had pushed her way past that Kiba picked up on the smell of blood. He quickly scanned his eyes over her body, trying to figure out if his nose was lying to him. He saw a nasty gash from her arm where she had sliced it on the garbage bin she fell on.

"Please don't get this mixed up with you thinking I actually care or anything, but you have a cut on your arm."

"Seriously, go home Kiba. I've had a shit day, and as much as you don't like me, now is not the time for you to give me shit." She tried to pull herself up onto the roof, but it was too painful on her arm. She fell back down. "I don't like you, and you don't like me. Leave it at that."

Kiba furrowed his brows. The last thing he wanted to be doing was forfeiting the Chunin exam in a weeks time because his stupid team mate had a seriously infected arm and a broken leg. "Can you just walk home like a normal person? You're not on a mission, you don't need to be jumping from roof to roof you idiot."

"Last I heard, you weren't in control of what I do."

"Unless, of course, I'm assigned team leader in a mission. Did you forget we were on a team, Red?" he smirked smugly to himself. ""Ugh, but now I have to go to school with you for a week. As if school wasn't bad enough already, without adding _you_ to the mix."

"Whatever dog boy, run along home with your pup. I can hear your mum banging the dog food tin calling you for dinner." She smiled to herself. His specialty was so easy to insult. She managed to pull herself up on the roof, and started running to get her speed up so she could continue jumping.

She was up and gone before Kiba could even manage a reply. As she pulled herself from the ground, a small object fell from her pocket. Kiba was just going to ignore it until he saw the small black object light up. He walked over, picking up the object which appeared to be her mobile phone.

"Wait, Hotaru!" The dog nin called, but it was too late. She wasn't even within his sight anymore. He cupped the phone in his hands and placed it in his pocket with a mischievous smirk. "Guess I'll being seeing you tomorrow," he laughed cunningly. If this girl was going to insult his clan and their specialty with canines, he wasn't going to make her stay in Konoha a very pleasant one.

* * *

**A/N: Read and review please! Let me know if it's any good, because I can't tell haha.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi there! If you've read this story all the way until this chapter, a massive thank you to you for sticking with an OC story!**

**A special thanks to SonicShaymin2 for the lovely reviews on not only this story, but Konoha Jawline as well! She too has a great OC story that I think you should check out. Its called 'Howling at the Moon' and you get your Kiba fix! (I did review, but I forgot to sign in :( Sorry Sonic!)**

**Anyway, here's chapter four. Please tell me what you think, or what I need to improve on. Enjoy!**

* * *

The school hallway was swarmed with students.

Hotaru gritted the straps of her bag, frowning as strands of her red hair fell over her face. Her mood was foul, dangerous even, as she stomped through the center of the corridor. Students had gathered on either side as they collected books and equipment from their lockers and headed towards their first class. A few girls who seemed to look a tad younger than she was giggled and stared, trying as slyly as they could to point at and mimic the angry red head.

This morning was not her morning. The wound she had caused herself the previous night had flared up and become infected. It had bled and wept profusely as she slept, causing the bed sheets to stick to the open laceration. The next thing to top it off was that Genma was right; the shorts she had got from him were too big. She attempted to tie the loose sides up with a hairband, only to have that hairband snap. She hadn't been able to walk properly all morning as her pants tried to fall down every three meters.  
The final thing to top off her already terrible morning was that she had misplaced her phone the previous night, and knew _exactly_ who would be taunting her all day at school with it.

She eyed the numbers above the classroom doors. Her timetable had instructed her to attend Homeroom as soon as she arrived at school so she could hand in her student ID on attendance. She continued along the corridor, looking for the door labelled 'E9'.

"Ah, you must be Hotaru!"

A teacher with short black hair walked towards her as she entered the class room. She had a small clip board in her hands. "I'm Shizune, the Homeroom co-ordinator. Glad to see you made it, and on time as well!"

Hotaru nodded, handing the woman her student ID.

"Now, there are some things I need to run by you Hotaru," the dark haired woman started. "I've read over your profile that the Hokage gave me. You transferred from Konoha's academy when you were seven, correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

"And I understand that because of Weaponry Canyon's rural locality, you had to travel with students from your village to study in the Suna Genin Program?"

Hotaru swallowed. She knew where this was going.

"By the looks of what's written down here…" she flicked through the papers on her clipboard. "Your attendance to Suna's Genin Program wasn't really, well, _persistent_."

Hotaru shuffled uncomfortably, rubbing the back of her neck. It was a nervous habit that she had grown accustomed to doing whenever she felt confronted or uncomfortable. The papers were right. Hotaru and her group of friends often avoided attending the Genin Program in Suna for weeks on end. It was a two hour trip to Suna from Weaponry Canyon's, and instead of attending the program Hotaru usually volunteered to go on missions with her father instead. The Meijinkage himself was lazy and uninterested in theory study, so he would never force them to travel to Suna. Hey, at least she was doing something and not completely bludging, right?

"Yes, but it will be different here, miss."

The dark haired girl looked towards her with a questioning glance. "I'd like to hope so, Hotaru. Please don't let your attendance be similar to that of your team mate, Inuzuka Kiba. That boy would have failed the attendance unit if it wasn't for this extra week."

Shizune directed her to where the classroom was for her first class. It was maths, and the whole time she sat at her desk her eyes grew heavy with boredom. The teacher who went by the name of Iruka Sensei was boring. The work she was assigned to do was boring. She didn't know anyone in the room, so she sat by herself and became the subject of whispers from her fellow classmates.

She was relieved when the bell rang for the lesson to end. She grabbed her gear and shoved it into her bag as she left the classroom to head to her next class.

Iruka walked around the empty classrooms, collecting the test papers from each student's desk. He took his time, quickly scanning his eyes over each test paper he collected. He was pleased with his class's results and smiled as he pondered on their success in the Chunin exams. A glimmer of his hopes seemed to fade, however, when he collected the empty paper from Hotaru's desk.

* * *

Kiba walked through the corridors doors, his black back pack hefted over one shoulder. He hated early mornings, even if he had slept in and missed his first class.

He saw Shikamaru standing by his locker collecting books for his next lesson. The two boy's lockers were right next to each other, and even though Kiba didn't really consider Shikamaru to be one of his best friends, they still hung out within the same friends group.

"Hey man," the dog nin started. He rubbed his tired eyes. "Mind telling me what class I have? I left my timetable at home."

Shikamaru looked at the back of his locker door. It was typical of Kiba to come to school un-organised. Shikamaru was no organisation guru himself, but he didn't need to be. He was completing the Genin Program for the second time and didn't need to provide so much attention to this years studies. "English with Kakashi. I don't think he'll make us do much dude; his head will be buried in his own book to much for him to make us read our own."

"It'll be fucking stupid if any of the teachers make us work. We're not even meant to be here this week; they could have just sent us on missions for the next seven days instead."

The mention of missions made Shikamaru groan. More missions meant more time he had to spend with his boisterous and noisy girlfriend, Ino. Don't get him wrong; he liked the girl, a lot. But spending double the amount of time with Ino because they weren't taking team studies at the University was really starting to become troublesome.

"Speaking of missions," the lazy brunette started. "I met your new team mate last night."

"Oh man, lucky you. Isn't she a pleasure?" The two boys started to walk to their next class. Shikamaru rolled his eyes as copious amounts of girls blushed as the Inuzuka winked at them.

"She doesn't look happy to be here, I know that much."

"You haven't even seen the start of it. You should have seen how pissed she was when she lost to Shino yesterday, the girls a pain in the ass."

The boy with the pigtail frowned at his difficult classmate. Shikamaru wasn't one to go and make best friends with new students but he was sensible enough to know a team bond was needed to pass next weeks exams. Kiba was going to ruin it for his whole team if he kept up that attitude.

"You know, maybe she's just home sick. I know all girls are a complete drag but if you wanna pass these exams next week Kiba, then I suggest you make an effort." Shikamaru placed his hands in his pockets.

"Don't lecture me man," the brunette replied with a groan. "Mum's already been on my ass about these exams, and now you. I dare you to spend a whole class with Hotaru and then come and tell she isn't annoying."

The two Genin entered the class room. Naturally Shikamaru wondered over to Ino as Kiba took a seat by the window on his own. A brunette with brown eyes strolled over to his seat.

"So uh, is there a reason you've been ignoring me Inuzuka?" the girl sat on the corner of his desk with her arms folded smugly against her rather large chest. "I've texted you a few times and haven't gotten a reply."

"Come on Yurija, you know that last weekend was just fun and nothing serious. Let's just leave it at a good time."

The brunettes large brown eyes started to swell with tears as a rather angry expression settled upon her face. "But… but we had sex! You cant just, just… use me like that!"

"Will you keep it down?" the brunette scanned the classroom to make sure no one had heard his one-time booty call complain. "Hey, I never forced you to. If anything you came on to me, so sorry to break it to ya princess, but you might want to think a situation through before you start opening your legs to the next boy who calls you pretty."

Her mouth hung open in awe. The heart broken second year Genin walked slowly back to her seat. Kiba could feel Shikamaru's eyes on him, so he turned around to give him a smirk before placing his iPod in his ears.

"Attention class, I need everyone to take a seat." Kakashi sensei stood to hush the students. When all of them had settled and quietened down, he scanned his only visible eye across the room to search for a spare seat.

"Ahh, just there next to the Inuzuka boy is a spare seat. You may sit there, Hotaru."

Kiba's head snapped at the familiar scent of vanilla and the sound of her name. He yanked his ear phones out of his ears before groaning at the girl standing in front of the class.

"Kakashi sensei, it's quite obvious I'm not your favorite student, but you don't need to punish me like this." Girls throughout the class giggled at his remark.

Hotaru clenched her nails into her palms before she hesitantly walked over. She could feel her pants starting to fall for the ten thousandth time that day, so she stopped to yank them up.

"Now sir I don't know if that is a very appropriate seating arrangement," the brunette started again, popping his feet up onto the desk. "The girl's already started taking off her pants before she's even reached the table. Do you really want me performing such private actions in front of a class full of students?"

Her face turned as red as her hair as she slammed her bag onto the desk. He had embarrassed her for the last time. _Two can play at this game_.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that Kakashi. I'm not into Beastiality."

The class roared with laughter. By now one of Kiba's canine's were protruding from the top of his mouth, and once again he could feel Shikamaru's eyes on him. He turned to look, only to see the lazy Genin returning his smirk from earlier.

"Calm down class, settle. I need you all to pull out your books from last week and just re-read the beginning." The grey haired man sat down and pulled his erotic novel up to his face. "Then you can… ugh, never mind. Just re read the beginning."

Kiba and Hotaru couldn't even look at each other. They both sat at the desk in silence, glaring daggers into the empty space before them.

"I'm not a fucking dog, Hotaru." he clenched his jaw. "I work with them and inherit their senses. Just to clear that up."

"And I clearly wasn't trying to get into your pants, _just to clear that up_."

The brunette leaned back in his chair flicking through the songs on his ipod. "Yeah well don't think that little remark ruined my chance with the ladies. Between me and the Uchiha, there isn't a moment where we're not pulling girls off us."

She shuddered at his smugness, but she couldn't argue against the fact. Kiba was good looking; it was just such a shame that he knew it all too well.

"Is that why you feel the need to not return my phone? You must just have _sooo_ many girl's numbers that you need a second contact list, am I right?"

Kiba smirked even more as he slouched into his chair. "What phone? I don't know what you're talking about, Red."

It was at that moment when she couldn't take his cockiness any longer. She had dealt with his attitude at training, again that night in the ally, and the comments he had yelled out about her in front of the class. But not returning her phone was the last straw. She stood up, slamming her fists into the desk they were both sitting on, and leaned so close that their noses were almost touching.

"If you think for one second that I won't purposely ruin your chances of becoming a Genin, you're so very, very wrong."

The dog nin leaned in even closer. "If you think that _I'll let you_ ruin my chance, then you're just as wrong, Hotaru."

Their eye contact was fierce. Being the alpha male Kiba didn't dare look away, especially when it came to being eye to eye with a girl. Her teeth were clenched tight, body shaking with anger, and fists balled to an uncomfortable tightness. A pain in her arm caused her to flinch.

"Do we have a problem, you two?" a questioning eye glanced up at them from beyond a book cover. The whole class had stopped to look at them.

"Yeah, he's my problem." Hotaru gave the brunette one last look before storming out of the classroom. The student's eyes followed her, and Kakashi knew by her aggravated aura that he was to leave her alone.

As she left, Kiba's eye trailed to the small pool of blood which had formed on the side of the desk.

* * *

She burst in through the girl's bathroom doors, clenching her arm tight.

"Whoa, Hotaru? Is everything okay?"

She looked up at the sound of the familiar voice. She was relieved to see Sakura leaning over the white bathroom sink, washing her hands. The pink haired girl looked at her with a concerned expression.

"Boy, am I glad to see you," Hotaru started, walking over towards the pinkette. She didn't even have to say anything before Sakura noticed the ugly wound on her arm.

"What happened to your arm!? Hotaru you may need to have this looked at, it appears to be bleeding a fair bit."

"Can't you just fix it?" the red head held her arm to Sakura's face, undoing the poorly wrapped bandage. "It's not that bad. Really, it doesn't even hurt."

Sakura gently moved the wound away from her face. It had begun to smell rotten due to the horrible infection and despite all of Sakura's experience in the medical core, the appearance of the nasty wound made her stomach turn. "Listen. Hotaru, I could probably fix the torn ligaments on the inside of the wound, but the rest will probably need to be stitched up in a hospital."

She could see the disappointment in the Red heads eyes. Sakura had a distinct feeling that the girl in front of her didn't want to draw any more attention to her self than she already had. Her heart felt for her, knowing she was trying to deal with all this by herself. Sakura couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like to attend a school with a bunch of students and teachers she had never met, a team she had never worked with before, and live by her self in such a large, demanding town.

"…Hotaru, is everything okay? You look a little worked up," the emerald eye girl started to work her chakra on the red heads arm. She watched the way her chest raised up and down anxiously, stumbling on her words. "What's happened?"

"It's Kiba, I don't want to let the others down or anything, but I can't stand him, I can't work with him Sakura, he's driving me insane."

"Come on Hotaru, it's only been two days. No one expects the two of you to be the best of friends. Just give yourself a little time to warm up to things, let down your walls a little bit."

Hotaru shifted uneasily, not taking her words as comfortable as Sakura had hoped. _Jeez, it's like walking on egg shells with this girl,_ the pinkette thought. She put on a comforting smile as she was about to continue, before a certain blonde pushed her way through the bathroom door.

"So this is where you got off to?" the blonde raised her brow at the new girl before folding her arms. "Listen hunny; if you're going to be here a while, you need to get used to Kiba and his arrogant remarks. He doesn't mean it most of the time. It's usually just for show."

The red head frowned as she thought back to her home. "If he was acting like that back at Weaponry Canyons, he would have copped a Kunai to the face by now. How does he get away with saying those things?"

"Because of Clan status, Hotaru. And also because he's a third year Genin. They tend to be a little lenient with students before graduation." Sakura answered.

Hotaru tilted her head in confusion. "Clan status?"

"Ugh, let me explain." The three girls decided to leave the bathroom and make their way back down the school corridor. Ino exhaled as she began. "Kiba is one of three candidates for the Inuzuka Clan Heir. Usually it goes to the first born male when they turn twenty two, but the eldest candidate, Raka, is a total flop of a Genin. Like, seriously. If you saw him, you honestly wouldn't pick him as an Inuzuka."

Hotaru tried her best to listen, but she was still wrapped up in her rage from before.

"He's almost twenty three, and there's no hope of him becoming the clan heir now. That leaves it up to Kiba and Tok. Tok is only a few months younger than Kiba, so right now he's not exactly in the running. Unless, of course, Kiba hasn't found a mate by twenty two and Tok has."

Hotaru rolled her eyes. "I've known Kiba for two days, and honestly, I know there isn't a woman in the world who would want to commit to_ that_."

"That's where you're wrong," the pinkette interrupted. She sighed as if she too didn't want to admit it, but there was no hiding the truth with the handsome Inuzuka. "Believe it or not, there are a ridiculous amount of girls who would do anything to be Mrs Inuzuka. But even if they were the perfect match for him, it wouldn't matter. His mate would have to be an Inuzuka if he wanted to be Heir."

Ino nodded in agreement. "It's the same with any head clan. If you wanted to be in a position of power, you'd have to marry someone from your own clan. It's not against the rules to marry someone different, but you can kiss your monarchy good bye if you do."

"So basically, what we're trying to say is Kiba is next in line for Clan leader, so he will get special privileges." The three girls reached the classroom door which students were now flooding out of. Hotaru had not even noticed the bell ring as Ino wrapped up the conversation. "But hey, look at the plus sides of things. Your team mate might be a dick, but he's sexy as hell. Deal with it and you won't have any problems."

"What Ino is trying to say," Sakura interrupted again, hushing the blonde. "Is that give him a chance, and he might give you one. Don't try and make your stay here harder than it will be."

Hotaru nodded and said her thanks to the two girls. Her arm had stopped bleeding, but the gash was still open. She hadn't had very much friends who were girls at the Canyon's and it felt weird having people who appeared to genuinely care about her. She walked towards her bag, the now empty class room feeling uncomfortably silent. She peered into her bag, noticing her mobile phone sitting on top of her books.

* * *

"You asked her what!"

Sakura flinched as the Inuzuka raised his voice. She went to reply before the hot-headed blonde muscled up to him instead.

"We asked her to sit with us, have you got a problem with that, Kiba!"

"Uh yes I do actually," the brunette pointed towards the cafeteria in where the red head was standing. She hadn't noticed the group arguing about her. "That bitch is crazy! English and training with her three times a week is enough, yet alone spending my fucking lunch with her!"

His anger flared. The previous English class was uncomfortable and possibly even made their team relationship even worse, and now the girls had invited her to sit with the group. "Oh come on Kiba, she can't be that crazy." Naruto added. "So she got a little mad at training yesterday, big deal!"

"And in English! Hell, Kakashi was even to scared to stop the spoilt brat from running out of the classroom!" He snarled in the red heads direction.

"Can you just give her a break, Kiba? Everything's new to her. I asked my mum a few questions about weaponry Canyon's, and that place sounds like an absolute dump. It wouldn't be easy for her to just arrive here and fit right in."

By now, Sakura had the attention of her whole group. Shikamaru and the Aburame had pulled their heads out of their phones, Chouji stopped munching on his chips and Naruto and Kiba looked at her with a questioning glance.

"That place doesn't even have a school. The closest education program is in Suna, which is a two hour trek from the edge of Weaponry Canyons. The same goes for their hospital. Their town consists of a mere three hundred people which is a vast difference from the four thousand that reside in Konoha. Try being in her shoes, as if you wouldn't be a little on edge if you were in her position."

For a short moment, Kiba's chest felt heavy with guilt. He hadn't thought of it like that or put himself in her position. But still, the attitude she had shown his team that first day at the training field was un-called for. Kiba was no angel, but he sure as hell would put in the effort to become comfortable with his team in a time where team work was crucial. He needed the position of Chunin, as it would heighten his chance of becoming Clan Leader and knock Tok and his perfect grades off of the table.

The sympathetic feelings Kiba was feeling towards Hotaru didn't last long however, as she neared the table and caught eye of the Inuzuka sitting with Ino and Sakura.

"No way." The red head instantly turned around with her tray of food in hand. She started to walk in the opposite direction.

"Hotaru, wait!" Sakura called, grabbing her good arm to stop her. Reluctantly, the red head turned around, eyes heavy with annoyance. Sakura's voice was calming and soothing. "Don't leave. Seriously, sit with us. You don't even have to talk to Kiba."

She looked towards Kiba, who then shifted his line of vision to the other side of the table. There was something different about him. She knew from experience that he wasn't one to back down from eye contact. Ino waved her over, and she even saw Shino nod his head in a subtle invitation. Exhaling, the kunoichi in training strolled over.

"Hotaru, you know Shino, your team mate. You met Ino earlier, and you've obviously, erm, became acquainted with Kiba," The pinkette stumbled on her last few words, trying as hard as she could not to tighten the tension. The two team mates caught eye contact and the rest of the group shifted as an uneasy pressure filled the air. Trying to pursue the conversation as quickly as she could, Sakura continued. "The boy feeding his face is Chouji Akamitchi. He's on Ino's team."

"Hi. It's nice to meet you," the chubby boy reached out his hand. It was covered in chip flavouring as Hotaru shook it reluctantly.

"And the lazy ass over there is Shikamaru. As lazy as he is, he's a total genius. Kiss his ass and you'll learn the ropes of a mastermind."

"I'm right here, woman. No need to speak about me as if I'm deaf." The brunette slouched in his chair even more. "And we've already met. Last night, Genma's. She came in looking for pants."

"Why, were your own shoved too far up your own arse?" Kiba mumbled as he rolled his eyes. Ino stomped on his foot to quiet him, causing the brunette to wince.

"Oh, I see, well I didn't know that!" Sakura continued, forcing an awkward laugh. She tried to continue the conversation before Hotaru could even get a chance to respond. "The other boy you haven't met yet is Sasuke Uchiha. He sits with the senior Genin; Tenten, Lee and Neji. You'll probably see him class."

Hotaru looked towards the Nara genius. "Listen, I'm sorry about last night. What I said to Genma about you guys and the school, I didn't mean it." Her eyes gestured towards Kiba. "Well, I did mean _some_ parts."

"Don't worry about it," the Nara boy continued with a sigh. Ino intertwined her arm with his as she turned to talk to Sakura. "You were right. The school and the majority of the Genin here are a complete drag."

The rest of lunch was spent talking about the good and not so good teachers, followed by talk of what the Chuunin exam would be like. Hotaru and Kiba had managed to avoid having an argument for the remaining hour.

Her last three classes consisted of business studies, geography and Gym. She was thankful that the only two classes she had with Kiba was English and Gym, but even then, _that_ was too much time spent with the arrogant Inuzuka. Fortunately, she shared Gym Class with Ino, so she wasn't forced to team with the dog nin during the classes activities. The classes over enthusiastic gym teacher Gai made them play Chakra infused Dodge ball the whole lesson, and Hotaru was pleased with the hit in the face she managed to throw at Kiba.

The next day Hotaru didn't turn up to school, much to Shizune's disgust. She spent the day sleeping in in an attempt to wash yesterday's complications with Kiba out of her head. She was awoken by Genma who had shown up to her apartment and lectured her about attendance, before the third year Chuunin took her down to the training fields to release her frustration.

Wednesday was no different to the Monday, as the two stubborn team mates argued throughout the whole English class. This time it was about space, as Hotaru wouldn't stop complaining to Kakashi about Kiba being on 'her side of the desk'. It took the copy nin the majority of the class to get the two to be quiet.

Hotaru was happy when Thursday had come around. She wasn't timetabled to have English that day, which meant the only lesson she had to spend with her egotistical team mate was Gym. She hung off Ino like a magnet in an attempt to not be teamed with him, but the blonde was swarmed with more than just the weaponry canyon kunoichi.

"Ino baby, come to my team. Our balls are better."

"But we have bigger bats!" another called with a wink.

"Ignore them princess, swing on over my way."

Boys in the class continued to call for the blonde's attention. Hotaru couldn't blame them; Ino had to be the best looking girl in all of the of the Genin program. First and second year Genin girls always stared at her with jealousy, knowing their classmates and crushes would only have eyes for the third year student. Hotaru wondered why Shikamaru never seemed to be fazed about it.

"Alright class!" the man in the green jumpsuit bellowed from in front of the students. "We're going to put our team tactics to the test today, so I need you all to pair up with someone from the opposite sex!"

Hotaru panicked, knowing she hadn't bothered talking to a single male since her first day at school. Naturally, four or five of the boys wondered over towards Ino, who gave her an apologetic glance. A few of the girls ran as fast as they could towards the Uchiha boy, and the others towards Kiba.

"Excuse me girls, but Mr Inuzuka already has a partner." Gai sensei smiled a big, toothy grin. His voice beamed with excitement as the group of fan girls surrounding the dog nin groaned with disappointment.

"I do?" Kiba asked with a confused expression. He was disappointed as the girls started to move away.

"Yes, you do! Hotaru over here is without a partner, and seeing as you two are newly formed team members, it would only make sense to pair the two of you up!"

The stomach of both the members from team eight dropped towards their feet, their words exiting their mouths in unison. "No. Fucking. Way."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Helloooo readers! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Just want to say a big thanks to KibaGurl08, Kaylamrr and xxxTasha101xxx for reviewing! I cant wait to here from you guys again, be sure to tell me what you think! :) **

* * *

Green eyes caught hold of amber ones. "Gai Sensei, I'm not pairing with him."

"Yeah, what she said!" the brunette retorted.

Gai sensei pulled the two students into him, placing an arm around each of their shoulders. His chest beamed with pride and his black hair shined beneath the gym's lights as he smiled to show his large, white teeth. "Come on kids, you are at the prime of your youth! Your adolescence is too important to be wasted on such trivial disagreements!"

The over enthusiastic Jonin pushed the two students together, their chests colliding. He smiled as he remembered back to the conversation he had with Kurenai and Kakashi two days before.

"_As the two of you have already found out by now, Hotaru Ataturi has been added to team 8 as a last minute decision by the Hokage. You may also know, that her and Kiba Inuzuka do not get along."_

_Kakashi smiled beneath his mask as he leaned against the staff room desk. "Oh, I definitely have."_

_The ruby eyed woman continued. "I've noticed that the only two classes the two share together are English and Gym. I'll need the two of you to try and get them to spend as much time together as possible, pair them up, make them sit together, assign them assignments; what ever it takes."_

"_Wait, hold on one second Kurenai," The man in the green jumpsuit started. He raised a thick, black eyebrow. "Why did team eight get assigned a fourth member? Why didn't the Third just put her on a team short of Genin?"_

_Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Gai is right. Team Eight is a bit of an unlikely choice; from what I've read, Hotaru does not possess the skills of a Tracking Nin."_

"_That is true. But Kiba and Shino have their hearts set on doing Team studies next year at the University, and Hinata has already informed me that she will be taking individual studies." The Genjutsu skilled Jonin took a sip of her coffee. "Hinata is a good student, but her confidence in battle lacks. She will not keep up with Shino and Kiba if they are appointed Chuunin."_

"_So Hotaru was assigned to take Hinata's position?" Kakashi asked from beneath his mask._

"_Basically. I realize she doesn't have the skills of a Tracking Nin, but she possesses speed. She will be a top pursuer, and has the confidence to assist in battle if the situation calls for it. She just has horrible communication with her team, and it worries me."_

"_And what if Hotaru chooses to do individual studies?" The copy nin folded his arms. He wondered if the two team eight ninja would ever be able to get along. He knew for a fact that his headaches had became increasingly irritated since the two had sat together in English._

"_Then she studies individually until she's allowed to return home." Kurenai sighed heavily. Konoha was short of capable Kunoichi. There were missions that strongly required the detail and influence of a woman and the Leaf Village happened to lack in that aspect. "Her talent will go to waste at Weaponry Canyon's. She's definitely no prodigy, but she is capable. This village needs capable Kunoichi."_

"_So the object is to make her spend as much time with her team as possible... Get them to get along… and convince her to stay…Hmmm." Gai replied as he rubbed his beardless chin._

"_Just focus on making her and Kiba get along. Once the two are over their little spat, they should be ready to take on the Chuunin exams and the University."_

Gai smiled as he put his plan into action.

Kiba couldn't believe it. Not only was he paired to work with Hotaru, but he was also physically _tied_ to her. A thin rope wrapped around their ankles in an attempt to make the pair walk in unity.

"Alright, students! The first activity is a good old fashioned three legged race!"

The whole class groaned as their Sensei beamed. "This is stupid, we're not kids!" A boy called from the back.

"It has nothing to do with how old you all are, this activity measures how well you're able to work as a pair, regardless of the situation!" he smiled as his class lined up at the end of the gym. "Imagine if you had just escaped an enemy's hideout, and you were chained to your team mate! We can't have you tripping over each other during a life or death situation! I want five laps of the gym on my command!"

"Don't fuck this up for me, I don't need a broken leg before the exams'." The brunette scoffed as the pair took their mark.

Hotaru grimaced. "Trust me, if I was to give you a broken leg, I would have done it one hundred times over by now."

Gai sighed as he watched the two students finish sixth in a race of nine pairs. His hopes of the two completing the race successfully shattered when on the third lap he saw the dog nin deliberately trip the red head Kunoichi, only to have her go to trip him in revenge but accidentally fall over herself instead.  
He was, however, pleased that the two managed to survive the activity without any serious injury.

Next he ordered the class to hoist the lighter partner out of the pair on to the remaining partner's shoulders. The person on top was then required to fight another pair using only their arms, whilst the student on the bottom was in control of steadying and controlling the balance. A few whinges and complaints later, Gai had convinced Kiba to heave the Red head onto his broad shoulders, much to her dismay.

For a second he thought the two Genin had actually came to a truce as they won their first two battles, the red head's aggression working in her favor as she tore both girls from their partners shoulders. That was soon followed by Kiba making a sly remark about Hotaru's weight, followed by the feisty red head using her feet to kick the dog nin in the side of his ribs violently.

That little dispute ended up costing the pair the next four battles, before finally getting their shit together and winning the remaining three.

The third challenge consisted of all pairs balancing with one leg on a thin beam whilst Gai threw basket balls in their direction. "You have the balance of an arthritic dog!" Hotaru's enraged voice echoed throughout the gym as her team mate was eliminated in only the second round.

The man with the thick bowl cut sighed as he neared the end of the lesson and realized he had not made any progress with the two Genin. The final match entailed each of the pairs working together in order to create a one man push up. Both students were required to lie side by side on their stomachs. Both Genin wrapped the inside arm around the shoulders of their partners. Using the outside arms, it was mandatory to complete as many push ups as they physically could.

Hotaru's arms felt as if they were on fire and she gave up on the One hundred and eleventh push up, much to the competitive Inuzuka's distaste. "Yeah good one you idiot, way to cost us the round!"

Gai had never felt so relieved to hear the end of lesson bell sound. The two Team Eight Genin went their separate ways and didn't dare go within six foot of each other the entire day.

* * *

Friday morning came around and Hotaru was waking up to a familiar sound, and it wasn't the sound of her alarm clock. Bright, early morning sunlight poured itself through Hotaru's now opened curtains, making her hazel eyes squint at the sudden abrupt brightness. She caught hold of the figure standing at the end of her bed, before tossing the blankets over her head and burying her face in the mess of sheets.

"What are you doing here this early, and how the hell did you even get in," the red head groaned into her pillows. Her words were muffled and her body ached from the torture she had endured with Kiba the previous day.

"Wake up Red, you're going on your first Leaf Village mission." Genma pulled the covers off of her tired and lethargic body.

"Cant... miss… school…" the weapon wielding kunoichi reached blindly for her blankets. "Shizune… will have… my ass…"

"Principal Tsunade has already informed Shizune about the mission. You have half an hour to drag your bubble-butt to the training fields otherwise I'll do it for you."

She stared at Genma with tired eyes from beneath her pillow. "You wouldn't."

"Oh yeah? Try me." The Chuunin smirked as he grabbed at her ankles, yanking her from the bed.

"Okay okay!" she yelled, trying to suppress her laugh. "I'll be there, just give me a minute to process the fact that the asshole from my nightmares actually exists."

"Still having troubles with the Inuzuka boy?" Genma asked as he threw the girls training clothes in her direction.

"If by trouble you mean I want to rip his smug face off, then yes, I am still having troubles with the Inuzuka boy."

"Well suck it up Red, you can't let a bit of sexual tension get in the way of a mission." Genma winked at the red head as he watched her face become enraged with disgust.

"There's no sexual tension! The guy's a fucking jerk!" she retorted with a snarl.

"Okay okay, easy!" Genma threw her Forehead Protector in her direction before walking towards the door. "Remember, you have half an hour. I'll see your cute little face when you get home." Genma winked before quickly stepping out of the apartment to avoid the shoe heading in his direction. She flipped him off before getting dressed into the remainder of her training clothes, and headed down to the fields where she was to start her first Konohagakure mission.

* * *

The day was hot, much to Hotaru's distaste.

She didn't handle the heat well, and the heaviness of the suns rays shining through the Leaf village canopy was enough to make her agitated. There was a breeze that blew amongst the four Genin and their escort, but the sun had taken away the crisp coolness the breeze once possessed. Instead the breeze held a hot draft that made the team feel heavy with exhaustion.

It wasn't all bad for the Weaponry Canyon Genin, however. Hoisted upon her back was a ten year old girl, her long blonde locks catching drift in the heated wind. The girl was from the Land of Rivers, and team eight had been ordered to escort her home after her recent residency in Konoha.

The girl's tired, fatigued eyes focussed on the exciting ninja under her. She couldn't believe she was getting the opportunity to travel with actual ninja.

"So, Sakamaii," Hotaru started, a warm smile settled upon her face. "What brought you to the Leaf Village in the first place?"

The little girl clung to Hotaru's shoulders tightly. "My mummy and daddy sent me there. See this neck lace?" the blonde pulled the gold material over her head, dangling the pink jewel in front of the Genin's face.

"That's a pretty neck lace, Sakamaii."

"I know! It's so pretty that there were some bad guys that are after it. I was sent to the leaf village for safety."

Hotaru smiled and felt a connection with young Sakamaii. The red head could relate to her situation, as she too was only sent to Konoha for protection. She felt as if they could really understand each other, know the same feelings the other would be experiencing, and that's why the rest of Team Eight decided to travel behind them as the two shared their stories.

"Meets girl for an hour, becomes her best friend. Spends a week with us, still refuses to get along." The dog nin rolled his eyes before wiping sweat away from his tanned forehead.

"Let them be, it's the first time I've seen her smile since she's been here. So this is a start." Shino looked at the watch he wore on his wrist. The team had been traveling for almost three hours, but knew they had at least another two before they arrived at the Land of Rivers. Hinata was starting to feel the heat too, and requested a short break before they continued.

A few metres away on their own patch of grass, Hotaru and Sakamaii continued their conversation.

"So, are these ninja your friends?" the blonde girl asked, resting her head in her hands as she lay on her stomach. Her green eyes looked up at the red head, idolising the ninja before her.

The kunoichi's hazel eyes wandered over to her team mates. She watched as Kiba rolled around on the ground with Akamaru, the white dog licking his masters face as laughter escaped from the dog nin's mouth. Shino sat on the picnic blanket beneath a tree with Hinata, going over the mission map. Her violet eyes watched intently as the bug wielders finger traced the route in which the team would take.

"They're my team mates," she replied. She didn't dwell any deeper into the subject. She didn't want to depress or even disappoint the little girl before her with news of her poor communication issue with her team. "And what about you? Are you excited to see all your friends again? I'm sure you would have missed them."

A moment of sadness settled on Sakamaii's face, her ill looking eyes re focussing towards the distance. "I don't have many friends, Hotaru senpai."

"I find that hard to believe, Sakamaii. Who wouldn't want to be friends with a little River princess like yourself?"

Hotaru poked the nose of the small ten year old, smiling as laughter escaped her mouth. She was informed at the beginning of the mission about her escort's status, being the only daughter of the village was also informed of the illness the girl carried. Hotaru noticed that Sakamaii's health was poor as soon as she laid eyes on her; her skin was a pail white, her frame severely underweight, and dark bags circled beneath her eyes. Her blonde hair sat flat, lacking the bounce Hotaru imagined it would usually have.

"They are all scared of me. They think they'll catch my sickness, but mum said it's not contoj… contig…"

"Contagious?" the red head suggested.

"Yeah, that one!" The blonde giggled. "So I usually play by myself most of the time. It doesn't bother me though, Orami san likes to play games with me on the days she finishes cleaning the house early."

"What about your mum and dad? Do they play with you?" Hotaru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really. They're usually to busy finding crystals or mining gold, like the one I wear around my neck."

Hotaru shook her head, disgusted at the way the girls parents didn't give Sakamaii the attention she needed. The girl was sick, lonely, and not even her own parents could provide her with the company she deserved.

"Hey you two," Shino said as he walked over, his hands resting comfortably in his pockets. "We're going to rest up here for about an hour. We're making good time, so a break will do everyone a bit of good."

Hotaru nodded towards the bug nin. "No worries, Shino."

Shino nodded in return and walked back over towards his original team, sitting next to the Hyuga heir as she gently nibbled on her sandwich. He glanced over towards his canine friend, noticing the slight agitation on his face.

"Is everything okay, Kiba?"

Sniffing the air, the dog nin scanned the surrounding area with his eyes. There was something troubling him. He could smell someone unfamiliar, but it was very, very distant.

"I can smell someone."

The Aburame heir tried to focus his attention on his bugs. He concentrated on their actions, waiting carefully for a slight disorientation amongst the group of parasitic insects.

They were normal.

"Listen Kiba," the bug nin started. "We are close to the border of the River Country, it's probably just travellers."

"And what if they're the Genin Kurenai warned us about before we left?" Kiba's mind thought back to the information his sensei had given them before his team set off.

"_Now, it has been reported that there are a pair of ninja who are after the neck lace Sakamaii holds around her neck. The River elders only sent through a rushed description of who they might be, but they're predicted to be rebel Genin. Try not to let it bother you too much. If you do happen to come up against them, they will be severely outnumbered. Plus, the River Country's level of Genin do not measure up to those of the Leaf."_

"Can you get an indication of their chakra levels?"

The brunette sniffed again. "They're to far away for me to tell. But there's someone there."

The two Genin focussed their attention into the forest behind them. There Sensei had told them not to dwell to much on the rebelling Genin, but they would always be cautious. Having a team made up of Genin with incredible sensory intelligence meant the team would always be on edge. They couldn't simply brush of the smells, sounds and objects seen in the distance, as their senses were constantly on high alert.

Shino turned to Hinata who had been listening to her two team mate's discussion, Her byakugan already activated.

"Any thing Hinata?" Shino asked from beneath his collar.

"N-no, nothing."

"Then we'll dismiss it for now." Shino sat beneath the tree, shielding himself from the sun. "Get some rest, you two. The sun is taking its toll on everyone, so rest up and we'll leave in an hour."

Kiba grunted, staring at the team's leader from the corner of his eye. Dismissing situation's was hard for the dog nin, as he wasn't capable of turning off his nose.

* * *

"This is good news. I'm starting to feel a little tired," The blonde said, followed by a yawn. Her body went limp as she rested her head on the lap of the red head Kunoichi.

"Get all the rest you need, Sakamaii. We'll have you home and in your own bed soon." Hotaru smiled, before leaning back and resting her own head on the soft mound of green grass beneath her.

* * *

Kiba was the first to wake.

The smell of salt water and the slight mist settling on his face was enough to make him realize that something wasn't right. Sitting up, Kiba realized that the grass that was once beneath him had turned into cold, damp rock. He stood slowly as his eyebrows furrowed, taking in the scenery around him.

To his left and right, two jagged cliff faces stood high above him. In front of him was a wild ocean as dark as the night itself. The waves crashed violently against the cliff faces, the residue of each wave getting closer and closer to where Kiba was standing. He spun, quickly realizing the waves tide was nearing him more as each wave crashed with a deafening force. Behind him was another cliff face, the treacherous edges crumbling a little every time a wave collided with the opposing cliffs.

It was as if Kiba was stuck in an open cave, and time was running out. The water was rising higher with each passing minute as his mind thought of where the hell he could be. Shino and Hinata were no where in sight, there wasn't a single trace of Hotaru and Sakamaii, and what irritated him the most was that Akamaru wasn't by his side. Some thing was definitely wrong.

He felt the water reach his feet. It was at that moment Kiba realized the odd thickness of the water, and how it lacked its cool, crisp temperature. "It's a genjutsu," he mumbled to himself as he avoided the back splash of a crashing wave. He put his hands together to create a hand signal. "Release!"

Not even a second later Kiba found himself back underneath the tree in the Fire Country, standing on a familiar patch of grass. Shino was hovered over him, his body also tensed with confusion. He had deactivated the genjutsu only seconds before Kiba.

"What the hell is going on!" Kiba yelled as Akamaru whined by his owners side. The dog nin looked towards his dog, translating the cries and furrowing his brows as he clenched his fists in anger.

"What is he saying, Kiba?" Shino asked as he shook Hinata to wake her. "You need to tell me what happened, and where the hell Sakamaii has gone."

Kiba's vision shot towards Hotaru, noticing it was only the red head's body that laid unconscious in the grass. The River Village princess was no where in sight. Anger and rage scratched within the inside of the Dog Nin as he listened to Akamaru's words.

"Two River Genin, and a Rain village Chuunin.." Kiba paused to listen to Akamaru before continuing. "The male Chuunin, placed a genjutsu on us while we slept, before they took off with Sakamaii. Akamaru tried to fight them off, but he was outnumbered."

Shino watched as rage overcame his team mate. The dog nin's fists clenched, his jaw tightened, and his eyes became aggressive as he bared his canines. "You have to calm down Kiba, and help me wake the others!"

It was at that exact moment Hinata released herself from the genjutsu, her eyes wide with worry as she awaited the news of their situation.

"I'm going after her!" Kiba yelled as Shino finished explaining the situation to the Hyuga Heir.

Shino knew full well that the Inuzuka was not about to listen or help devise a plan. The bug nin hated the way the brunette always acted so irrationally, never taking the time to analyze the situation before charging off into battle.

The scent of the two Genin and Chuunin was hot under his nose. They had only just missed them. He growled at Akamaru before taking off into the thick Konohagakure forest with a speed only an Inuzuka would possess.

"Hinata, I need you to listen to me," Shino said as the girls eyes trembled with worry. She was glancing towards Hotaru, who had still not released herself from the poorly structured Genjutsu. "You need to stay with Hotaru until she wakes up. Kiba has started to track them and I need to be there to back him up in case the enemy attacks. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, Shino," she stuttered as she tried to get herself together.

"If she doesn't wake up, you'll need to do it for her."

She looked at him with a confused expression. "But Shino, I c-can't do that unless I hurt her…" her voice trailed off as she watched him pull a Kunai from his jacket, her eyes widening in horror. "Shino! I can't!"

"You can, and you will." He placed the kunai in her hands. "She has a laceration on her right arm from where she had cut it open on Sunday night. It's in the healing process, so I need you to re-tear it open if she doesn't release the jutsu in the next five minutes. Do you understand?"

Unwillingly, the violet eye girl nodded, not looking the bug nin in the eye. The situation was all too much for her to take in; not only had the little girl that they were assigned to look after been taken from them, but she was stolen away by a Rain Village Chuunin; a village that were renown for their genjutsu and assassination skills.

Her heart ached as she watched Shino take off into the forest after Kiba. Her eyes focused on Hotaru, her lifeless body still lying limp within the grass.

* * *

**A/N: Please take the time to review! And Merry Christmas, everyone!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: BEWARE, this chapter may be a little sad. Don't go flamin'. But please try to enjoy it none the less. **

**I do not own Naruto. I havent said that yet. Woops. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Sakamaii! Sakamaii can you here me?"

Hotaru walked through the cold, wet cave. It was dark. Her hazel eyes could only just make out the lining of the rock walls beside her, and the small pool of water she had been walking through for what seemed like an eternity had dampened her shoes.

She was panicking. Hotaru's usual collected, serious manner had been forgotten about as soon as she woke up inside the cave. Confusion was making her heart race beneath her chest. Where the hell was she? Where was her team? And most importantly, where was Sakamaii?

The only possible explanation she could think of was that Kiba was trying to play some stupid prank on her. The idiot was probably hiding behind a nearby rock wall with his ever so smug grin plastered on his face. This made her angry. Sakamaii was sick and needed to be home within her village, not fucking around playing pranks and wasting the mission time.

"Sakamaii?" she called once more, her voice echoing right through out the cave. Again, she heard nothing.

Her hands felt the rocks beside her, playing as a guide as she dwelled deeper and deeper into the cave. Every now and again there would be a small crack in the cave wall, an almost microscopic amount of sunlight piercing through the small crevice.

Steadying herself on the slippery rocks beneath her, she trudged forward, keeping a steady eye on even the slightest glimpse of blonde hair.

* * *

The Kunai shook Hinata's hands. She knelt beside the unconscious Hotaru, who had still not even stirred.

"Please, Hotaru…" she whispered through nervous breaths. It had been a little over five minutes, and Hinata was starting to tremble with anxiety. She couldn't think of hurting her team mate, let alone one she had only known for a week. The fact that Hotaru had a mean temper that even matched Kiba's made her all the more nervous. Hinata hated tension, drama and anything anger related, really. This whole situation was not going to go down well.

She knew exactly what Shino was thinking before he left to catch Kiba. It was obvious in the Bug Nin's expression that he wanted to pursue the rebel ninja's as a team. He was angry at the fact that Hotaru was not able to recognise that she was placed under a Genjutsu and they had wasted time waiting on her. The frustration which had settled upon his face as his team had to unwillingly split up angered the bug nin. He was responsible for whatever happened to the team, after all.

Eight minutes passed and still no movement had come from the kunoichi. Hinata had tried repeatedly to release Hotaru's genjutsu by using the Genjutsu Cancellation technique, but it had no effect on her. Nothing was working. With trembling fingers, Hinata gritted the kunai in her hands, holding back tears of fear. "Please be strong, Hotaru…"

Back inside the cave, Hotaru had still made no progress. The silence was driving her mad.

"If this is some kind of sick joke, stop fucking around!" her voice was trembling now. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she was scared.

Stepping down onto a slippery rock, Hotaru used the cave wall beside her to steady herself. As soon as her skin caressed the cold rock, a stabbing pain seared through her wound, the pain almost unbearable. She cried out in agony, watching as the cave around her started to fade into a bright, white light.

Hotaru shot upright, almost knocking Hinata over. Her hazel eyes were wide with fright, her face drained of its entire colour. Hinata new the shock of it all had already set in.

"What... where, what the hell!"

Scrambling over to her team mate, Hinata took the red heads arm into her hand, trying to stop the bleeding. Taking a deep breath, Hinata tried to remain as calm as possible. "Hotaru, please, you need to listen to me. Whilst you were in that Genjutsu-"

"What? Genjutsu? Where are Kiba and Shino!" her words came out fast and shaky. She glanced to her lap, failing to notice the excruciating pain tearing through her arm. The blonde wasn't there. "Where's Sakamaii?!"

One look at the fear filled eyes of the Hyuga and Hotaru new something was terribly wrong. She ripped her arm from Hinata's grip, squeezing her shoulders firmly. "Hinata, you need to tell me where Sakamaii is!"

"She's been taken!" the violet eye girl spat out. Her chest was heavy with panic. "A R-Rain village Chuunin, and t-two river village Genin…" tears fell from her violet eyes.

Hotaru's stomach dropped. She couldn't believe it. "Hinata, tell me what direction they went."

The Hyuga could hear her team mates words, but the coolness of her tone made her frightened. Hinata knew the red head was going to break any minute.

"Hinata, tell me which way they went now!"

She jumped at the infuriated tone of the girl before her, flinching at her words. All she could do was raise her hand and point. She couldn't even look her team mate in the eye. Before she knew it, Hotaru was gone, tearing through the forest at an inhumane speed.

* * *

"Gorou, the boy with the dog is gaining on us."

The blue haired genin glanced behind him, knowing his team of rebel ninja would soon be in trouble. His sensei, a mere Chuunin from a village that wasn't even his own, held the unconscious body of the River Village princess.

His twin sister, Kira, was becoming worried. She knew they would be no match for the Leaf Village Ninja if they were to catch them. "Osamu, tell Gorou that we need to do something." She whispered as they followed their leader.

He nodded, noticing the look of worry on his sister's face. He couldn't blame her; he too was worried, having only joined this Chuunin out of promise of becoming stronger.

Gorou, however, was only driven by the power of wealth, not physical power. He fled from his village in an attempt to become wealthy, but needed someone to accompany and assist him in his attempts of robbery. Finding a pair of gullible twins wandering outside of their village was the perfect opportunity for Gorou.

Kira and Osamu were starting to regret their decision of running away with the Rain Village Chuunin. He had taught them very little about fighting and the art of becoming a Ninja, and after a whole year of travelling and helping the Chuunin thieve precious jewels, the two were starting to wonder if the man was ever going to stick to his promise.

"We're moving too slow. Stop here and set up a trap, and make it quick!" The man's black hair hung over his face. He pointed to where he wanted the smoke and paper bombs to be placed before urging his team on to hurry.

"Gorou, I don't mean to be rude, but wouldn't it be wiser to just take the jewel and leave the girl? We don't need her."

"Yeah, Osamu is right," Kira's heart thumped as the barking of the nin dog was becoming louder. She finished placing the remainder of the trap before continuing. "If we leave her here, maybe we'll be able to move faster."

Gorou tilted his head to the side, slowly moving closer to the two genin. Their bodies tensed with fear as he held a kunai to their necks. "Are you questioning my plan, kids?"

They shuddered at the mans sickly voice, both swallowing in unison as they glared at the weapon pointed to their throats. "N-no sir, not at all."

"But allas, I have taught you both so well," he retreated the Kunai. "Even though you both spoke so disrespectfully to me, you raised a valid point. I feel honoured that I trained those witty minds of yours."

The twins relaxed as the freakish man before them turned. Their heart rates slowed down, and Osamu heard his sister exhale in relief.

"We'll leave the girl here. After all, her parents don't care enough for her to keep the little brat as a hostage."

"Wait, what are you doing?" Osamu spoke as he watched his leader put the Kunai to the princess's neck. His chest tightened as his eyes widened with horror.

"Y-you're not going to kill her, are you?" Kira's voice shook with fear. Her brown eyes squinted as Gorou's evil glare settled upon them both.

"You said it yourself, children. If we leave her here, maybe we'll be able to move faster."

The three ninja came into Kiba's view as he pushed himself through the thick foliage, and the first thing he noticed was the razor sharp edge of a Kunai placed at Sakamaii's neck. His body acted on its own, his anger taking over as he charged towards the Rain Village Chuunin.

"Don't you fuckin' dare!" he yelled as he sprinted towards him. He pulled two shuriken from his jacket and threw it quickly at the surrounding two Genin. They dodged it swiftly, leaving a gap for Kiba to leave an open attack on Gorou.

The Chuunin's eyes widened as he shot a threatening look towards his two students. "The trap! Trigger the fucking trap!"

Nodding in agreement, the two twins acted quickly by throwing their shuriken at the surrounding paper bombs.

Kiba landed a solid punch to Gorou's face causing him to stumble backwards. His team mates hadn't arrived to help him yet, but that wasn't going to stop him now. The Inuzuka reached quickly for the girl in Gorou's arms, but was deafened and thrown back by the incredible force of the paper bombs exploding all around him. His body was thrown into a tree, his head colliding with the hard solid trunk, before the smoke from the exploding bombs clouded his vision. The Inuzuka could still smell the ninja and make out their figures in the smoke before him. He lifted himself up as he began to charge angrily to retrieve Sakamaii's body.

He heard the thundering sound of a tree snapping, it's long, burnt trunk slowly leaning to a fall as its roots gave in. It was then and only then that he noticed Akamaru's unconscious body lying in the tree's path, and Kiba's panic truly set in. What was he to do? Rescue the girl he was assigned to escort back to her home, or save the life of his best friend?

He couldn't leave Akamaru to die. He just couldn't. Quickly changing the direction of his path, Kiba dashed towards his unconscious companion, quickly scooping him up into his arms just seconds before the massive tree collided heavily with the earth beneath it.

The smoke started to clear and the three Ninja were no where to be seen. Kiba's heart dropped as the smell of death drifted in the wind that blew gently past his face.

Shino came bursting through the trees, waiting for the smoke to clear away from the forest which was now a wreckage of disaster. The bugs inside of him stirred. He was too late.

As the smoke cleared, he eyed the image in front of him, taking in the way the forest was now a deathly pile of burnt and collapsed trees. Small embers still flickered on the remaining foliage, the smoke making the area appear a dark, morbid grey. He looked towards Kiba, who had wandered over towards Sakamaii's lifeless body. The Inuzuka turned, looking his bug friend in the eye, before shaking his head slowly.

Shino hung his head as his heart grew heavy. As the mission leader, her couldn't help but feel responsible for Sakamaii's death. He ran his hands threw his hair as he tried to figure out a way he was going to explain all this. Not only to the Hokage, his sensei, or Sakamaii's family, but to Hotaru.

Just as Hotaru appeared in Shino's mind, she also burst through the trees and onto the wreckage scene, her eyes widening at the mess before her. Shino was astonished at how fast the Kunoichi has arrived.

The smoke, the fallen trees, the burnt surroundings. Hotaru had felt she had just burst onto the remains of a war zone. After she had taken in all of the destruction, she focussed her eyes towards Kiba. He had slowly started to make his way over to the pair, his head hanging low, his vision directed towards the ground. The red head Kunoichi noticed how beat up he looked; his jacket was torn in numerous places, his face smeared with dirt and a little blood and his hair messier than it originally was.

But his appearance isn't what made her heart fall from her chest. Unintentionally shifting her glance behind him, she noticed the body of a petite blonde, her yellow dress stained with ash, and a pool of blood surrounding her neck.

A small, pathetic gasp escaped her mouth, as she slowly stumbled over towards the body. "Sak…Sa…Sakamaii…" Her chest felt as if it was going to cave in on itself. Tears began to well beneath her hazel eyes. Her body started to tremble uncontrollably, her legs almost giving way beneath her as she tried to stumble as quickly as she could towards the motionless body.

But she couldn't do it. She had neither the strength nor the emotional stability to even make it over towards the girl. She went to stumble past Kiba, who held his arm out in front of her shoulders. "No, No! Let me go! Don't fucking touch me!" Hotaru screamed, the tears now pouring down her face like a waterfall. Kiba shut his eyes, pulling her into his chest. He cradled the back of her head, trying to comfort the weeping sixteen year old. He could feel the warmth of her tears begin to accumulate on his chest. He held her close to him, trying to stop the uncontrollable trembling of her body.

"She's gone, Hotaru."

She cried violently into his coat, her fists reaching up to grab the clothing on his chest.

"I-i-it's all my fault! I couldn't wake up, I couldn't wake up!" her eyes were strained shut and jaw clenched hard as she pulled at her red hair. Her legs finally gave way beneath her, and Kiba continued to lower himself as she slowly slid to the ground.

"I, I fucking killed her, it was me,"

"Hotaru, stop blaming yourself." He held her head against his chest once more. It felt weird seeing her so broken, so vulnerable. She was truly shattered. In an instant her hard exterior had crumbled to nothing, blaming the entire situation on herself, and had begun to mentally punish herself for not being able to release the Genjutsu. But most of all, she hated herself for not getting there in time to save Sakamaii.

A few minutes later, Hinata had burst onto the scene. She noticed everything instantly. The wreckage, the missing ninja, and most of all, the body.

"Oh, Shino!" Her voice was even softer than usual as she pressed her face to his chest, shielding her eyes from the wicked sight before her. Shino wrapped his arm around her, whispering that everything was going to be okay, and how sorry he was for letting the mission get to this.

* * *

The walk home was horridly silent.

The four genin walked in single file, the two girls at the front, followed by Shino, then Kiba at the very back, holding Sakamaii's body in his arms.

The sun had gone down now, the surrounding land looking dark blue as the team continued to walk home. The air was cooler. The silence of the surrounding area added to the immense quietness the team was already lost in. There wasn't a single rattle within the bushes, not a single hoot from a passing night owl, or even the high pitched groan of an evening cricket. Everything was just, silent.

A crisp breeze blew against Hotaru's tear stained face. Her tired, bloodshot eyes remained looking forward, her face completely drained. She continued to stagger home as if she was a zombie, her mind completely and utterly empty.

Two hours into their return to Konoha, it didn't surprise Shino when Hayate and Ebisu appeared before them. The two Jounin had been instructed to find the team when no reports of Sakamaii or Team Eight's arrival had been sighted in the Land of Rivers .

Hayate noticed the body in Kiba's arms immediately, and had taken it upon himself to relieve the genin of such a damaging task by taking the body off of his hands. Shino hung back to inform Hayate of everything that went down with the River and Rain Village ninja, whilst Ebisu walked on silently up ahead with the rest of the team.

It wasn't long before the news of Team Eights mission had reached Genma's ears. Later that day he had been appointed to Jounin, and had been on an emotional high until the news of his friend had reached him. Being Hotaru's supervisor, he was one of the first to know of all the exact details of what happened. Later that night he had visited the hospital where he was told she would be. The nurses instructed him that Hotaru had insisted she go home after her arm wound was stitched up. He then traveled around to Hotaru's apartment to check on how she was doing, only to find the apartment empty.

Knowing how much of a hot head the little kunoichi was, he figured she would be at the training field releasing any of the emotion that was built up inside of her from the mission, wounded or not. Surely enough, he walked to the training field to discover the red head laying combo's of punches and kicks into the punching bag. He watched her through the wire fence, carefully observing the way she maneuvered around the bag, the heaviness of her punches and the accuracy of her kicks. All of it was off.

"How you holding up there, Kiddo?" Genma said quietly as he strolled slowly into the area. She didn't acknowledge him, but noticed his presence. She continued to lay into the bag as Genma wandered over, holding the bag in place.

"Tell me, Genma," she started, landing three right hooks into the stuffed leather bag. "Have you ever killed someone?"

Genma frowned. "I've killed many people, Hotaru. I have been a Ninja in this village for a very long time."

"No, no. That's different. What I meant to say, was have you ever been responsible for the death of someone?"

She landed a solid kick with her left leg. "Many times, red."

"So you're telling me, that you've truly felt what it's like to be the reason some one has died? To be the reason that person never returned home to their family?" she belted another four punches into the bag. "You know what it's like to be the reason that person suffered pain?"

With each passing word, her punches became stronger. Genma was starting to feel the force of each kick as the bag slammed against his chest.

"Yes. I know exactly what it's like. It's an awful feeling, but then I remember of all the times I've rescued people, all the times I've saved my team mates, and it all doesn't seem so bad."

"She was ten years old Genma. Ten years old. Hell, she wouldn't even know what life is at that age! And I took it away from her; I prevented her from experiencing everything good that life has to offer. Tell me, how the fuck am I meant to make myself feel better about that."

She pulled her fist back, throwing it with an extreme force into the bag. Genma quickly moved the bag to the side and replaced it with his hand, holding the enraged genin's fist in his palm.

"Is that what you think? That Sakamaii died all because of you?"

Her hazel eyes looked into his, her brows furrowed with rage.

"Sit your ass down, Hotaru. If you ever want to become a Chuunin, you need to stop thinking that everything revolves around yourself."

Reluctantly, the red head stormed over to the set of seats towards the left of the arena. Her arms were folded against her chest as her eyes began to fill with tears again.

"First of all, Sakamaii was sick. Hell, sick isn't even the word. Sakamaii was dying, she had stage four terminal cancer."

Hotaru's jaw clenched tighter. Was this meant to be making her feel better? What the hell was Genma trying to prove?

"She had three weeks to live. That's the only reason her parents had ordered her to come back. Tell me, if you had a sick daughter, you'd want to spend the remaining time she had left glued to her side, am I right?"

The red head nodded.

"Well Sakamaii's parents sent her away. They sent her away instead of just handing over a necklace that those ninja so badly wanted. And if you knew your daughter was going to be a target for criminals, why the hell wouldn't you pay for a Jounin escort? " Genma started to raise his voice. "But no, her parents were cheap, refusing to offer any more money than the Genin escort.

"But put all that to the side. Forget about her parent's stinginess. Your mission first went wrong when Shino dismissed Kiba's warning. What he should have done, was go and investigate the surroundings. Never, ever dismiss a situation when you know for a fact that you are being followed."

"Get on with it Genma. This isn't exactly making me feel any better."

Genma turned to face her, staring directly into her eyes. This intimidated her and was exactly how Genma wanted her to feel. He was going to give her the honest truth, not sit there and feed her with words that were meant to make her feel better. She was about to become a Chuunin; it was time to wake up and realize the harsh, cold, brutal world of a ninja.

"Then that's when your fault came in. If you hadn't decided to skip the Genin program back in Suna so much, you would have known that in your second year you learnt the Genjutsu cancelation technique. This can usually be worked on others, however you were so deeply wrapped up in your genjutsu that it failed to work. And yes, if you had known of this release technique maybe you could have woken and went after Sakamaii as a team. But your lack of attendance in Suna is what ruined that for you."

Tears fell from Hotaru's eyes, although she didn't sob. She needed to hear the truth. She knew she skipped that unit in the Genin program, and it was no ones fault but her own.

"Then there was Kiba's fault. What idiot runs off to face a Chuunin and two Genin on his own? That is such a typical Inuzuka trait; getting way to wrapped up in his own emotions that he tries to turn into the hero. If he had waited for Shino and attacked those Ninja as a team, that little girl may still be alive right now.

"And let's not forget about Hinata." Genma continued. "She was ordered to allow you five minutes max to wake you up. She waited even longer because she was scared. If she had followed Shino's orders and woke you up on time, you would have used your speed and arrived in time to assist Kiba. But she didn't. And those extra three minutes she waited turned out to be crucial."

The way Genma had put everything into such a clear perspective made Hotaru weep some more. They weren't all sad tears, however, as the relief of knowing every single one of her team mates played a role in the mission's failure put her heart and mind at rest. She would never forgive herself for the failing role she played, but the burden of thinking the whole thing was her solely her fault had finally been lifted.

'I'm so sorry, Genma," she said as she tried her hardest to fight back the tears. He put his arm around her gently and let her head rest on his shoulder.

"The autopsy proved that Sakamaii was unconscious when she was killed, Hotaru. She didn't feel any pain. If anything, Sakamaii died happy. She was given so much attention off of you, and she was ecstatic to be surrounded with ninja's. Hell, you seen her face, she was over the moon."

Hotaru managed to force a small, tear muffled laugh. "Yeah, she was, wasn't she."

"And the fact that she was happy with you meant she didn't have to go home to her mum and dad where she would have died lonely. They wouldn't have paid her the attention you did whilst you were on that mission."

Hotaru lifted her head from his shoulder and wiped away the tears from her bloodshot, hazel eyes. She smiled as she looked up at Genma, visualising him as her older brother. "Thank you, Genma. I needed this talk more than you'd ever know."

He smiled a warm smile, before using his hand to rub the top of her head. He ruffled her hair causing small laughs to escape her mouth before pushing him off of her. He leaned down, placing a small kiss on to her forehead. "You're welcome, red. Now get on home. It's late, and you have a meeting about todays mission tomorrow followed by training. Now get to bed." He flicked the side of her head before watching her run towards the gate.

"Oh, one more thing," she started, turning around to look at him. "Congratulations on Jounin, loser."

She winked, before he laughed and watched her run along home.

* * *

**A/N: Have nothing else better to do? Please leave a review and make me the happiest person in the world? :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I hope every one had a wonderful New Years! I hope 2014 is good to you all, here's to another year of reading and writing! Haha, a quick thank you to the lovely MusicOfMadness for your awesome review. Means a lot! (And I totally just realized you have an OC story with a character named Hotaru aswell! That's so weird! I wanted something that related to 'fire' because of Hotaru's bright read hair, and the Japanese word 'firefly' is Hotaru, so I went with it! I guess good minds think alike, huh? ;) I know you're waiting on some Kiba goodness, but please be patient with me, it'll come I swear! :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The night Kiba returned home from the Land of Rivers mission wasn't a very good one.

Like Hotaru, the brunette was physically and mentally exhausted. To be honest, the entire team was.

This was Team Eights first mission death. He had often talked with Naruto about what it felt like. He knew Team Seven had previously lost someone on a mission with Kakashi, an old lady who had passed away from a sickness on their two week mission to the Village hidden in the Mist. Shikamaru had once informed the group to not talk about the mission he and the rest of Team Ten had taken, as Ino was still touchy about the loss of a father they were escorting who was assassinated during their travels.

Since he had achieved the level of Genin, Kiba knew he had to face the reality of death sooner or later. All he had hoped was that it would be something they had no hope of preventing.

This, however, was a situation that could have been prevented, and that's what angered him.

His mother wasn't about to let him forget it either. Kiba was close to his family, the small Inuzuka clan had a fierce loyalty towards one another despite their constant scruffs and arguments. Hana was a great role model for Kiba, and his mother Tsume was rough enough to play the role of both mother and father in order to keep her wild son in line.

But the conversation he had with his mother was not a very easy one. He was tired, sore, and still shocked that he had witnessed the death of a little girl that he was assigned to protect. He didn't want to talk about it; he wanted to go to bed and try to forget about the whole thing.

"What went wrong? It was a simple escort mission, Kiba. You should be used to these by now."

He watched as Tsume glared at him from across the table, her penetrating eyes not leaving his.

"Unexpected rebel nin is what happened, ma. I've already told you this."

"But genin, Kiba?" she rose her voice in anger. "I understand there was a Chuunin involved in the whole ordeal as well, but come on boy, if there were four of you I don't understand how something like this would happen!"

"It was more difficult than that, okay!" the brunette shot back. He slammed his fists onto the table causing it to shake. "We were separated, and I was mad. All I wanted to do was find those ninja as fast as I could!"

Tsume raised her eyebrow. "Separated? Would this have anything to do with that Weaponry Canyon girl who was assigned to your team?"

Kiba's eyes wandered to the side as he tried to think of a response. Technically, yes, Hotaru did play a role in the reason the team had to separate. But it wasn't entirely her fault that the mission was a failure, although that was going to be difficult to explain to his mother. He couldn't rat Hotaru out like that; yes the girl was an aggressive, short tempered, hypocritical bitch, but there was something about seeing her so broken earlier that day that made him wonder. Maybe she was just like them after all? Maybe her way of dealing with all this change was to suppress everything within her and put on a cold, hard exterior?

Tsume continued as she failed to get a response from her son. "Ahh, it is, isn't it." She got up from her chair and paced slowly around the dining room table in which they sat. Kiba knew his mother was becoming angered. She was never pleased with the result of a failed mission.

"Who's idea was this anyway, to have a four man team? Stupid move by the Hokage if you ask me, that notion is a bunch of bullshit. There has never been a four man Genin team, ever!"

"Ma!" he yelled, interrupting her train of anger. "It's only for a week. The Chuunin exams are in three days, just leave it be! I'll never have to team with her again once this is all done, so just drop it already."

Her top lip rose into a livid snarl. "Go upstairs, wash up, and get to sleep. I don't want to have this conversation again any time soon. You understand?"

Nodding, Kiba called for Akamaru to follow him upstairs. The mission didn't leave his mind the entire night, and neither did the image of the traumatized Hotaru.

* * *

Saturday morning came around awfully slow.

Images of the mission didn't leave any of their thoughts the entire evening. Shino remained awake to early hours of the morning, thinking about how his initial actions resulted in such a mess. Hinata could barely stop the tears from falling onto her pillow after her father provided her with a stern, harsh, unsympathetic lecture. Hotaru tossed and turned the entire night as images of Sakamaii's body continued to appear in her mind.

Kiba, however, would eventually get over the unsettling mission quicker than the others. He hadn't formed a connection with Sakamaii the way Hotaru had, so his feelings towards her death were no where near as extreme. He didn't have to carry the burden of knowing he was the Leader of the mission like Shino had. And although his mother was harsh on him about it, the brunette knew the talking he received from his mother was no where near as awful as the one Hinata would have received from her family.

He did stay up thinking to a certain extent, though. Weirdly enough he couldn't shake the image of the distraught Hotaru from his mind. The Inuzuka Heir felt odd that he had held Hotaru against him like that, attempting to comfort the red head despite their unexplained rivalry. He had convinced himself that Hotaru wasn't one who thought or cared about others; an example of this being how she refused to spend time with her team. However the emotion she displayed when losing Sakamaii, the raw sadness and distress in her cries, had Kiba thinking that maybe with a bit of effort the red head could prove to be a worthy team mate after all.

Hotaru sat across from the two boys, with Kurenai and Hinata seated either side of her. The room outside of the Hokage's office was silent as they waited to enter for their meeting. She fiddled with her defence Wielding Chain in her hands, rubbing the flat side of the blade so it was clear enough to see her reflection. She frowned as she caught sight of how horrible she looked; her eyes were red and puffy, her skin had started to break out because of the stress she had put herself under, and she was just too tired to get her hair to look right.

She had felt an off vibe from Kiba all morning. The two would usually make eye contact upon arrival, giving each other a sneering glare before either one of them rolled their eyes to shrug the other off. But today was different. Kiba sat staring at the ground, occasionally reaching to his left to give Akamaru a pat. He'd constantly direct his vision to different corners of the room, acting all agitated and restless which was unusually different from his cool, overconfident self.

"Kurenai Yuhi and Team Eight, the Hokage would like to see you now."

Hotaru looked towards the familiar voice, noticing straight away that Genma was the person that was allowing their entry. She tilted her head to the side with a subtle frown, trying to hide her smirk as she mouthed 'what the hell?'

Genma smirked and pointed to his vest. 'Jounin, elite body guard,' he mouthed back, before giving her a reassuring wink.

As the team entered the office, Hotaru felt a hand reach around her wrist and gently pull her back outside of the room. She was shocked when she realized she was standing face to face with Kiba.

"Uh, is there a problem?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

The brunette stood beside her with a serious expression on his face. Being this close to the handsome Inuzuka made her stomach drop a little. She could feel her heart beat faster and faster within her chest. He could pick up on her nervousness, and in a sense, it made him feel a little conceitedly satisfied knowing she was beginning to feel like this around him.

"About yesterday. I just wanted to let you know it wasn't your fault, so stop beating yourself up about it."

The red head frowned once more, wondering how he could pick up on the fact she was still upset. Why would Kiba care, of all people? Sure, Hotaru realized the whole team played a part in its failure, but she still couldn't shake the feeling of guilt off of her. Genma's talk had helped her a little, but deep down she would always secretly take the blame for what happened.

"We need to go inside." She swallowed, slowly removing his arm form hers. She turned around and entered the room as the Hokage stared at her, taking her place next to the rest of the team.

* * *

The meeting was exactly how Hotaru thought it was going to be. It started off with the four of them having to report a thorough explanation of the entire mission, a detailed description of the rebel nin, followed by apologies and explanations of where the mission fell apart. The Hokage then explained to them the consequences of the mission; the four of them were to attend Sakamaii's funeral in the Land of Rivers and give their condolences to the family and village. It was finished by The Third signing off the mission report as a failure.

The four Genin agreed and thanked the Hokage for his time before being dismissed.

An hour later, Team eight found themselves at the training field. It was a horrible afternoon as thick grey clouds covered the sky. A wind tore through the field with an icy sting, something Hotaru was used to from living in the Land of Wind. The others however weren't too impressed by the irritating gale, as the gust continued to throw Hinata's long dark hair over her face. Shino's hood continued to blow off, and Akamaru annoyed Kiba with his constant whines about the blustery weather. To add to the already miserable conditions, it was showering lightly, however it wasn't enough for Kurenai to call off the training.

Kurenai started off the training with a brief warm up. Hotaru and Hinata were assigned to team together as were Kiba and Shino. The pairs were instructed to assist each other with warm-up stretches, followed by some simple chakra control, and then some very light Taijutsu sparing.

Kurenai wanted to test everyone after their mission to see if they were all still physically and mentally focussed on the exam. She had plans of letting Hinata and Hotaru have it out after the quick warm up, however she forgot Hinata had informed her before the session that she had a ceremony she had to attend with her family, meaning she had to leave training early. Dismissing the young Hyuga, Kurenai looked at her remaining students and thought hard about her next move.

"Kiba and Hotaru, breaks over. You're up."

The three Genin sat there for a moment, frozen in a minor shock at their sensei's words. Hotaru looked over at Kiba, who was already looking at her with an odd but serious expression on his face. The two had always had it out over verbal arguments. When it came to fighting with one another, the two teens had done it more times than they could count. But this, this was the first time they would actually truly _fight_ each other, a physical battle until there was a victor, and they didn't quite know how to feel about it.

"But Sensei," Shino said as he watched his two team mates take their place. "Do you really think this is a good idea?"

The ruby eyed woman folded her arms against her chest. "We'll soon find out, won't we?"

Kiba's eyes glared at Hotaru from across the field. Her red, damp hair blew in the direction the wind was howling. Her hazel eyes focused on his.

"Finally, the day I beat your ass to the ground has finally come." He beared his canines as he grinned smugly in her direction. He laughed arrogantly, feeling the rain softly start to fall upon his skin.

Although his comments were making her angry, she tried to force a self-assured smirk. "Always so confident, Kiba. It's going to be embarrassing when you lose."

"Ha!" he scoffed, folding his arms against his broad chest. The rain was trying it's hardest to force its way through the clouds. "Lose? I won't lose princess. Me and Akamaru already have this in the bag."

Shino didn't agree with his sensei's decision. Although he did noticed there was a slight improvement with the relationship between the pair, he knew making them battle was only going to heighten their rivalry, and that wasn't a very good move when the Chuunin exams were only two days away.

Kurenai could pick up on the Shino's agitation. "Relax, Shino," she smiled, placing a hand on her students shoulder. "Sometimes when two wolves are put in the same pack, they feel the need to argue over who is top dog. Those two wolves will fight it out, and once they've physically sorted out their disagreement, the pack goes back to normal. The argument is settled."

"Kurenai Sensei," he argued, still not convinced. His eerie voice was soft as he spoke. "I don't think Hotaru wants authority. She wants to go home."

Kurenai laughed. "You didn't listen to me, Shino. It's about learning where they belong. In Hotaru's case, she belongs in this team, and needs to accept that. It's not going to change any time soon, no matter how hard she fights."

Kurenai had to admit, when Asuma had told her to just let the pair have it out she didn't exactly agree. She, like Shino, thought that if the pair were both angry enough, either one of them could get seriously hurt. Her Jounin lover however had convinced her that a physical dispute might just be what the two Genin needed.

"Hey Kurenai!" Hotaru yelled from her position on the field. Shino and the dark haired woman both looked up at the call of her voice. "Kiba has Akamaru. That means it's two on one!"

"You have two chains, Hotaru. You'll figure something out." Kurenai smirked from her spot on the sideline.

Gritting her teeth, Hotaru focussed her glance back on Kiba. The dog nin continued to smirk at her from across the field.

"Don't tell me you're starting to get a little worried, Red?"

"Of course not," she scoffed back. "Just makes it all the more fun, I guess."

With one swift move, Hotaru grabbed at her offense chain and hurled it in Akamaru's direction. The chain connected with the pup's neck before Kiba even had time to realize what she was doing. The end of the chakra infused steel linked in the form of a collar, and Hotaru sprinted to the closest tree to wrap her end of the chain around the trunk tightly.

"What the hell!" Kiba yelled, looking over towards his sensei. "Tell her to let him go! You never even told us we could start!"

"Does an enemy Nin say 'go' or 'start' when you're being ambushed in the middle of no where, Kiba? No. You need to always be on guard. Now focus your attention on her."

Kiba's jaw clenched tightly as his glare re directed towards the red head on the opposite side of the field. He ran over towards Akamaru to remove the chain.

"I wouldn't do that, if I was you."

"Oh yeah? And why the hell not?" he retorted angrily.

"Because at the moment, those chains aren't hurting him. The serrated edges are lying flat against his coat. If you were to twist or turn those chains in the slightest, they'll cut into his skin."

"And how do I know you're not just saying that to stop me from releasing him?" he bared his canines as he squatted beside his trapped friend.

Hotaru smirked as she crossed her arms. She leaned against the tree her chain was tied to. "Well if you don't believe me, go right ahead. Remove them."

He eyed the sharp, silver chain wrapped around his ninken's neck. Akamaru whined as he lied uncomfortably on his side, refusing to move as the fear of being cut held him in place. Kiba's fingers traced the outside of the chain as he cautiously slipped his finger underneath it. Rain continued to fall from the sky as it landed on the dangerous restraint. He lifted it slowly, trying not to let his fingers slip on the beads of water, before twisting the shiny steel ever so slightly in an attempt to pull it over his pups neck.

A high pitched yelp escaped Akamaru's mouth as the chain slowly sliced into the back of his neck. A tiny spot of blood appeared on the dog's white, damp fur.

Kiba let out a growl. "I'm sorry boy," he whispered as the rain continued to fall. "Looks like you're just going to have to sit this one out."

The brunette stood, focusing his attention back on Hotaru. "Looks like its back to one on one, then. I'll warn you now; I'm not going to go easy."

"I don't expect you to." The red head Kunoichi took her position as the dog nin sprinted towards her.

The first thing she noticed was Kiba's speed. God, he was fast. Hell, Hotaru herself knew that her speed was above the student average, but Kiba's even possibly surpassed hers. She wasn't used to fighting someone who actually matched her swiftness. Usually the offence chain would help her prevent someone that quick from reaching her before they had the opportunity to attack. The offense chain however was out of action to restrain Akamaru, and her confidence was weakened as she realized she had to fight without her weapon.

A few meters before he reached her, Kiba reached into his pockets and grabbed two rounded smoke bombs. He hurled them in her direction, the small black beads exploding with a smouldering cloud of grey, preventing the kunoichi from being able to see anything.

_I can't see a fucking thing!_ She thought, panicking as she glanced around her. She couldn't see Kiba anywhere, just thick, dark grey smog. The falling rain around them prevented her from hearing anything also.

Then came the heavy punch to the left side of her face. The force of the hit almost knocked the red head off of her feet. Steadying herself, she tried to see if she could decipher where the hits were coming from, but it was pointless. All she could see was black.

Then there was another one, slamming into the right side of her jaw. This one was enough to knock her over. The pain was enough to make her feel dizzy and heavy with discomfort as she dragged herself up off of the damp grass. The smoke was starting to clear now, and she quickly took a stance of defense. Kiba was no where to be seen.

"Looking for me, red?" a voice from above scowled mischievously. She quickly glanced up in panic, noticing Kiba perched in the tree before he jumped down with a swinging fist.

Thinking as quickly as she could, she dove to the left, only just missing the forces of yet another powerful punch. "Missed me," she panted, before charging towards him.

The two continued to battle it out in the rain, both using their skill in taijutsu to land blow after blow. Kiba was surprised at her speed. She had managed to land a shot to his stomach and another to his chest, but she wasn't as quick as him. She managed to block the majority of his punches with that darn defensive chain of hers, although her guard was constantly down whenever Kiba went to kick her. He was, however, surprised at the beating she took. There was no way she was giving up any time soon.

The two jumped away from each other. Their chests rose up and down in exhaustion, their bodies pained, their clothes saturated by the pouring rain. Hotaru's face ached. He was right when he had stated he wasn't going to hold back; Hotaru had never taken a beating this bad in her entire life.

The dog nin was tired, also. He was finding it difficult trying to steady himself in the rain, the wet grass beneath him was turning into a slosh of slippery mud as the two continued to tear up the earth with their battle. He noticed she was quite agile on her feet and dealt with the wet weather a lot better than he did.

"It's getting late, wrap it up you two." Kurenai called from the side line. Kiba looked over Hotaru once more. Her red hair blew slightly across her face in the searing wind, as she stood almost exhausted waiting for his next attack. Her clothes were a little torn, and she was covered in mud. There was something about seeing her like that that gave Kiba butterflies. This was weird for him, considering he would never find himself being attracted to someone like her. He liked his girls tall, with legs that stretched out for miles. He was a sucker for long brunette or blonde hair, a busty chest, and a polite and gullible persona that would be used to swoon over him. Hotaru was the complete opposite. She was short, petite, with choppy bright red hair. Her eyes were the main feature that stood out on her face. Her big, piercing, hazel eyes. Her attitude was gruff, stubborn and competitive. She oozed a mysterious self confidence. This wasn't something that attracted Kiba to a person. So why now, why all of a sudden, is the physically drained girl before him making his stomach turn with nervousness?

Kurenai was right. It was getting late, and Hotaru needed to wrap up this battle as quick as she could. She took her position once more, and Kiba charged towards her.

She couldn't let him get close, not again. If he was to keep attacking her with vicious amounts of taijutsu she wouldn't stand a chance. It enraged her to admit it, but the Inuzuka heir was faster than she was. He was obviously stronger than she was and packed the punch of a man. Hotaru had landed hits, but she was too petite to do any real damage. She couldn't let him get near her if she had any hope of winning.

Her offence chain, which she used to do the majority of her jutsu, was gone. All she had to work with was her defence chain and her stamina was running out. In a last attempt for a win, she hurled the short defence chain in a boomerang motion towards Kiba's ankles. She was shocked when the chain connected causing the Inuzuka to go crashing into the mud.

_Shit!_ Kiba panicked as he felt his body trip and collide with the ground. He wiped the mud from his eyes and saw the red head using the last of her strength to charge towards him. Her Kunai was in hand, ready to pin him and have it held to his neck, her face pained with exhaustion.

Kiba tried to remove the chain from his ankles but it was no use. The serrated edges were slicing into his hands every time he touched it, his hands becoming a mess of mud and blood. How could he lose now? Did this girl actually have it over him? She would never let him live it down if he was to lose this spar. No, he couldn't let her. Now was not the time to give up. He was an Inuzuka, after all.

He reached into his pockets pulling the last smoke bomb out and holding it firmly in his hands. He waited until she was a few steps away from him before throwing it directly at her, watching the cloud of smoke explode for a second time. Hotaru coughed, the awful haze entering her lungs before she realized that for the second time that day, she couldn't see a thing.

Kiba however didn't need his sight to see where she was. He could _smell_ her. He dragged himself through the mud with his arms, tightening his grip around her ankles with his hands before pulling her to the ground with all his might. The red head landed solidly on her back, knocking the wind out of her instantly. Her back muscles felt as if they had been pushed to the front of her chest, and for a good seven seconds, she couldn't breathe.

Kiba climbed on top of her, face drenched with rain, clothes drenched with mud, hands drenched with blood. He held her wrists to the ground as tight as he could. "Say I've won, say it!" he yelled aggressively as water dripped from the ridge of his nose. The smoke cleared and Hotaru saw his face appear inches away from her own. His fierce amber eyes stared destructively into hers as their faces hovered over each other.

With a painful breath, Hotaru choked out her the last of her battle words. "You've won."

* * *

**A/N: Review if you like!**


	8. Chapter 8

Hotaru couldn't quite draw her eyes away from Kiba's. She couldn't work out the reason why she wasn't able to, either. At first she put it down to being too physically exhausted to flinch, breath, or even move to be able to look away. His eyes held a depth that even she wasn't able to gaze to the bottom of. A fierce passion for victory, maybe, but it seemed to feel like something more than that. However after about a minute of their strange visual hold on each other she came to realise that maybe this whole stare off wasn't because she was physically incapable of looking away; but more so because she didn't want to.

It took two people to have such a fierce visual clash, and Kiba was just as confused as the red head when it came to him not being able to re direct his glance. Her face suddenly seemed to look softer than it usually did. Submissive? Hell, it even looked forgiving. It looked so different that for a moment Kiba almost felt bad for beating the breath out of her. Whatever it was, the two of them were in no rush to exit their little moment. It secretly angered the both of them on the inside, as the confusion about it all was a little too much to deal with after such an intense spar. Hotaru despised Kiba; well, she had convinced herself she did, anyway. It was the same when it came to his opinion of her. But what the two of them hadn't thought through was such a simple question; what happens next?

What happens now that they had beat the hell out of each other, discovered the stronger being of the two, and released the tension that had been itching at the inside of them both for the past seven, gruelling days? Hotaru didn't know. Kiba didn't know. Neither of them did.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything,"

The exhausting gaze the two genin were trapped in was finally broken as their Jounin instructor wandered over. Her mind, like her two students, felt as if it was the victim of a tug-of-war as well. For the past few minutes she had to watch her two Genin (who she thought despised one another ) look into each others eyes with an intensity she had only seen between herself and Asuma.

To be perfectly honest, she didn't even know whether to feel relieved about the current situation between the two. Okay, so it was good the two team mates weren't trying to rip each others throats out anymore, but this sudden rawness of what seemed to be _lust_ had her worried for a whole other reason. Was lust even the word? She didn't know how to describe it. It wasn't welcoming, and it wasn't comfortable, but it was something.

Watching her students heads snap to the direction of her voice urged her to continue. "The rain is getting worse. I've sent Shino home, you two better get out of those wet clothes and change into something warm. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon for a final talk before the exams."

Both of the teens nodded, before Kiba pushed himself off of Hotaru's tired body. Her chain was still wrapped tightly around his ankles.

"Can I trust you two to avoid killing each other if I leave?" Kurenai was starting to become soaked by the down pour.

""Yes, Sensei." The brunettes voiced raised over the sound of the falling rain. In an instant, Kurenai was gone, and the two teens sat alone in the muddy, soaking field.

Hotaru's body ached with a pain she hadn't felt in a long time. She had never felt so beaten up or tender since she used to train with her father when she was a little girl. She urged herself off of the sodden ground, ignoring the aches that grasped against every muscle in her body. She looked over towards Kiba who was looking at the small chain wrapped around his ankles. Slowly, she crawled over to him, unwrapping the chain gently from his dirty skin.

"Are you okay?" the Inuzuka asked, breaking the silence. He scanned his eyes over her beaten form. He never thought he would find himself feeling sorry for Hotaru, but here he was, doing just that. He sure did go all out on the girl. Dry blood drizzled from both of her nostrils, her lower lip was a tad swollen and leaking blood also, scratches were left to streak her mud soaked chest as a result of Kiba's claws and her right cheek was already starting to bruise. She was a wreck.

She finished removing the chain before tying it to the side of her waist. "I'm fine. Don't go feeling sorry for me."

Kiba had to roll his eyes. Even with the life half beat out with her, the idiot still struggled with acceptance. "Whatever, Hotaru."

She walked over to Akamaru, who thankfully had been half sheltered under a tree with her chain still wrapped around his neck. The white dog whimpered as she slowly removed the serrated restraint, avoiding cutting into his soaked fur. The dog sat up, shook his coat, and whimpered at the red head before him.

"I'm sorry boy, it had to be done." She patted the top of his head softly, apologizing with her eyes. Akamaru, like her and Kiba, was cold and drenched. His body shook as Hotaru cradled him in her arms and walked back over to the dog nin.

"He might need a bath or something. And don't worry about the cut on his neck; its nothing serious."

Kiba nodded and gently took the pup from her arms. Akamaru nuzzled into his broad chest. "Thanks. You should probably go home and get cleaned up. You're going to be sore as hell in the morning."

"Yeah, no shit." she scoffed. Kiba thought he almost caught a glimpse of a playful smile behind the falling rain. "The same goes for you. Get those cuts on your hands and ankles cleaned up."

"Pfft, whatever _mom_." He rolled his eyes and popped Akamaru into the chest of his coat. He looked at Hotaru one last time before turning away. His chest fluttered slightly, a kind of nervousness that confused the absolute hell out of him. He swallowed and put it down to him being so excited about his victory. It couldn't possibly be anything else. It couldn't.

As his back turned, the red head smiled. She felt a tsunami of relief wash over her as the arrogant jabs and comments she expected to be thrown at her never arrived. Hell, maybe the guy had a heart after all.

* * *

When Hotaru arrived home, it was early evening. Her eyes were heavy with tiredness and her body burned with a pain that made her feel as if she couldn't move. She moaned with relief as the hot water from her shower washed over all of the mud and blood, the steam rising off of her skin and into the air around her. Small streams of water gently trickled down her face; over her eyes, the ridge of her nose, her cheeks, her chest. For the first time this week she felt relaxed, even if it was only for ten minutes.

The floor of the shower was a sickly brown as all the mud washed off of her skin. She sighed as she washed the shampoo through her short red hair, massaging the liquid into her scalp. It sure felt a whole lot better than being beaten into the soggy ground.

She wrapped a towel around her body and exited the bathroom, almost jumping out of her skin as she realized Genma was standing in her kitchen, ravishing through her food cupboards.

"Genma!" she squealed, covering her hands over the body parts her towel was already shielding. "What the hell!"

"Oh, red, didn't see you there," the Jounin reached to the top of the empty cupboard and felt around. "Do you honestly eat anything but mangoes? Your cupboards are empty."

"Who cares about my empty cupboards, get out! I'm in nothing but a towel!"

Genma kept his casual composure, ignoring the frustrated shrieks coming from the red heads mouth. Her face was red from embarrassment but that didn't stop the elite guard from walking around the apartment as if it was his own.

"You might want to hurry up and get dressed, Ino and Sakura looked as if they were on their way over." He took a seat on her lounge and flicked on the TV.

Flopping onto her bed in defeat, the red head realized it was pointless trying to shoo Genma out of her apartment. He always walked in and made himself comfortable as if the two had known each other for years. "Ino and Sakura?" she repeated as she raised an eyebrow. "Why would they be coming over here?"

"I've seen them out a few times in town on Saturday nights. I'm guessing they're going to try and lure you out of your foodless den in an attempt to get you to socialize."

"Hey, I socialize!" she argued as she grabbed clothes and walked back towards her bathroom. "I sit with them at school now. How much more socializing can I do?"

"Heh, believe me, a hell of a lot more if you're going to be friends with them." A knock was heard at the door before Genma switched off the TV and walked towards the window. "You better own a dress."

Before Hotaru had the chance to even ask why, he was gone. She managed to throw on the rest of her pyjamas before answering the door, where Ino was knocking very impatiently. Hotaru's eyes widened at how stunning the two girls looked.

Sakura's medium length pink hair was out straightened, with the front part tied back into a small quiff. She wore a small, strapless, pastel blue dress, and a white pair of high heels. The colours of her blue dress and light pink hair made her look so soft and sweet, with just the right amount of sexiness that would turn the heads of many boys. Ino looked just as stunning, in her short, black, halter-neck dress with silver bracelets. Her blonde hair was left out to flow around her ribcage instead of being hoisted up into its usual pony tail. She wore a black pair of high heels, where the straps rose in a criss-cross manner above her ankles. Ino was a real head turner.

"Hotaru!" The blonde squeaked, embracing the confused red head. "Glad to see you've showered. Now, get out of those awful pajamas and change into this." She threw an item of clothing into the chain wielders hands.

"What? Why?" she asked with a groan as she held up the dress. It was black and strapless, with a thick, gold sequenced band around the breast area. Hotaru couldn't help but screw up her face in disapproval.

"Because we're going out. Don't try and argue with us, it's two against one. You'll never win."

"Ino, Sakura, I just got the absolute shit beaten out of me. I'm tired, sore, and I just want to go to bed. Plus, aren't we too young to be going out?"

"So we're two years off the legal drinking age, so what? My older cousin is a security guard at one of the clubs just out of town," Ino smirked and flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder. "We've been getting let in there all this year; live a little!"

Hotaru shook her head. "Sorry guys, I'm not keen. Maybe some time after the Chuunin exams."

"No way girl. You're coming with." Sakura stepped forward into the doorway and Ino followed. They shut the door behind them, Hotaru rolling her eyes as she watched her two friends also walk into her apartment as if it were their own.

"Seriously, why does everyone just walk in here as if they own the place?"

"Stop talking Tar, get into the dress. I brought along the most perfect pair of shoes to match it!"

"And I have a cute gold necklace, too!" Sakura added.

"Guys, stop!" The red head was starting to become angry now. She was not in the mood to go out drinking, yet alone force herself into a dress.

Ino raised her eyebrow as she folded her arms. "Hotaru, did something happen today? You're acting like more of a bitch than usual."

"Ha-ha. Funny." Hotaru rolled her eyes before collapsing on to her bed and burying her face into a pillow. "Kiba beat me today. I don't really know how to feel."

"You should just be feeling like yourself. None of us girls would be able to beat Kiba, Hotaru." Sakura sat beside her on the bed trying to comfort her. The pinkette was probably Hotaru's closest friend in the village, apart from Genma. Sakura made it her duty to support Hotaru during her experience in Konoha, and after hearing about the loss of Sakamaii, that sense of duty only increased. It was time to take her mind off of the things that made her sad; whether that be Sakamaii, or losing to Kiba.

"I know that you want to hear something supportive right now, but how the hell would you be able to beat Kiba when he is twice the size of you!" Ino interrupted unsympathetically. "Turn that frown upside down and come and get ridiculously drunk!"

Hotaru spoke into her pillow. "Forget it Ino, I'm not going."

Sakura put her head in her hands when she saw Ino's all too familiar smirk. Her blue eyes glared at Hotaru mischievously.

"Sakura, please come and stand beside me."

Sakura reluctantly did what she said. She knew exactly where this was going. "Really, Ino? You're going to go to that kind of length?"

"You bet I am." The blonde lifted both of her hands and leveled them with her eyes, forming the shape of a circle with her index fingers and thumbs.

Hotaru rolled from her stomach on to her back at the sudden silence. Her eyes widened when she recognized the position her blonde friends hands were in. "Ino! Don't you dare!-"

"Mind transfer Jutsu!"

* * *

"I can not fucking believe you."

Hotaru awoke on the stairs outside of her apartment, her two friends smirking over her. The night air was cold and the fact that Hotaru was now in the black and gold sequenced dress Ino had brought over only made her colder.

Sakura seemed somewhat apologetic, but that emotion was soon taken over by excitement. Ino on the other hand looked overly pleased with herself and how well her plan fell into place.

"Where are my keys?" Hotaru asked as she stood up from the ground. She almost fell as she steadied herself and her high heels.

"I've hid them. You didn't think that once the jutsu was finished I'd let you go running back inside, did you?" Her blue eyes glowed with victory.

"You are the devil, Ino Yamanaka."

The Blondes Mind Transfer Jutsu worked long enough to change the red head into her dress, do her make up and get her out of her apartment where she was to proceed with getting drunk with her friends.

The three girls started walking along the footpath that lead to the train station. "Okay, so Shino and Shika are going to meet us there, Chouji and Naruto are going to catch the train with us, and I'm not sure if Naruto got hold of Kiba-"

"Wait, what!" Hotaru interrupted, panic setting in. "None of you said anything about Kiba coming!"

"Relax Hotaru, we don't even know if he is yet." Ino responded casually. She closed shut the portable mirror after she finished applying her lip gloss.

"Ugh, this night is going to be a disaster," Hotaru's head fell into her hands as they boarded the train. Naruto and Chouji were already seated waving the three girls over. Chouji had made some sweet comments to all three girls about how beautiful they looked, before the rest of the train ride was spent listening to how 'pumped' Naruto was about the club. Ino had handed the red head her flask of vodka, which Hotaru gladly accepted to help drown out the noise of the annoying Uzumaki.

Hotaru had a light buzz by the time the train had dropped them off at the small but loud night club just outside of Konoha. When she asked Sakura why this was the club they chose to go to, the pinkette replied with facts about how this particular night club was one of the clubs they were least likely to see any of their sensei's at, and the only club that was stupid enough to let under age kids in.

She wasn't surprised when she was allowed entry and saw the Handsome Inuzuka leaning against a wall to the right hand side of the dance floor. He had decided to show up after all, much to her distaste. Blue, red, green and purple lights flashed around the whole place, but it didn't withdraw from the fact the woman Kiba seemed to be talking to was a tall, skinny blonde. Hotaru rolled her eyes at his sleaziness before allowing the music to fill her ears. Was that jealousy, she was feeling? No, it couldn't alcohol she had consumed on the train was just making her feel dizzy as she stumbled over towards the bar.

Ino had taken to the dance floor with Naruto, Chouji and Sakura, whilst Shino and Shikamaru stood drinking at the bar. They were the quieter pair out of the group, and dancing wasnt really their thing unless they were _really_ drunk. Shikamaru was the first to notice a tipsy red head stumble on her high heels as she approached. He eyed the way she looked; her skin had a glow about it, and the soft eye makeup Ino had applied really brought out the brightness in her strong, hazel eyes.

"Well what do you know, you're actually a woman." Shikamaru said smartly, referring to Hotaru's gruff, tomboy exterior. Hotaru didn't mind Shikamaru. He was honest, but not in the way Kiba was. Shikamaru often kept rude or arrogant comments to himself, unless he felt comfortable enough around a person to insult them sarcastically. Hotaru was a queen of sarcasm herself, so his remarks didn't bother her. She knew deep down, Shikamaru approved of the Weaponry Canyon genin.

"Not really. Your girlfriend gave me a five minute sex change before we left. She did a good job, huh?"

Shikamaru smirked and shook his head, taking another swig from his glass. Shino nodded to his team mate, complimenting her on how feminine she looked.

"Yeah, well don't get used to it boys," she took a seat on the stool next to them. "This is a one off thing; you won't see me like this again for a long, _long_ time." She slapped some money on the table, and ordered the bar tender to fetch her a drink. A very, very strong drink.

From across the dance floor, Kiba was being bored to tears as the blonde from the second year Genin Program told him about her studies, and how all the boys in her classes liked her. He had slept with this girl before which was the main reason why he wasn't interested. Actually, the whole reason she knew about this bar was because he was the one who brought her here. Ever since then she had a strange habit of showing up whenever he did.

"…And that's when I told Alaki that I wasn't interested. I mean, pfft, did he honestly think he could sleep with a girl like me?"

Rolling his eyes in the darkness of the club, Kiba looked for an escape from the boring, shallow conversation he was locked in. It was at that moment he looked towards the bar area, noticing a familiar red head stand up from the bar stool. His eyes were frozen on the tanned, toned legs that rose above the gold high heels. The black, figure hugging dress snuggly lifted the breasts of the red head kunoichi, her green eyes shining beneath the clubs multi-coloured lights. Her eyes looked a little glazed, a result of the alcohol she probably had already consumed, and her tussled red hair swung as she turned to laugh at their Bug Nin team mate. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"…Yeah Emiko, I'm going to go and grab a drink from the bar. I'll meet you back here later," the brunette didn't even look towards the blonde as he spoke. His eyes were focused on the strangely attractive red head across from him.

Emiko looked disgusted as the brunette ignored her request for a drink, before pouting and heading back onto the dance floor.

Hotaru had been in the club for an hour, her and Ino being the drunkest out of the group by far. The alcohol had gone straight to her head and legs as she turned towards the bar tender to get another drink. As she did so, the heel of her shoe caught, and she felt herself falling to the ground.

A pair or tanned, masculine arms caught her before her body and head hit the hard, club floor. As she was yanked up and forced to stand on two legs again, she turned to see who the guy was who had just prevented her from cracking open her skull.

"Well, I obviously didn't spar you hard enough if you have the strength to be out tonight, hey red?" Kiba looked over the red head with a self satisfied grin.

As soon as the future Inuzuka heir arrived, Shino and Shikamaru felt that the situation was definitely going to turn ugly. They turned to give each other the exact same look, as if to say _lets get the hell out of here._

"I'm going to go check on Ino. I'll see you guys when we're ready to go." Grabbing his drink from the bar, Shikamaru turned to leave.

Shino skulled the rest of his drink before quickly looking for a casual escape. "I better go make sure Naruto hasn't got himself into trouble. Kiba, text me when you want to leave and I'll meet you out the front." In a flash, the bug nin had also left the soon-to-be-awkward conversation.

"Oh, you sparred me plentyyyy hard enough, Inuzuka." Hotaru slurred her words as she spoke. "But don't worry, I'll get you back, I pros... promise."

Kiba had also consumed his fair share of drinks as well, although being a male meant he was able to handle himself slightly better. Hotaru however was well over her limit, and Kiba knew it wouldn't be long before the red made a silly decision or got herself kicked out.

"No you wont. Well, not in this state anyway." He forced the Kunoichi to take her seat back on the stool. "It's surprising you even showed your face after such a horrible performance."

"Do you get a kick out of insulting me or something?" Hotaru asked as she gestured for another drink.

"I certainly got a kick out of beating you today, if that falls into the same category?"

Hotaru's head felt angry, dizzy, and she couldn't focus on a smart enough response. She also couldn't make out the handsome Inuzuka's face with all the colourful lights darting around the room. She was however sober enough to make out what he was wearing. His black skinny jeans were complemented by a red T-shirt and a pair of black Vans. The T-shirt was a shade darker than the Inuzuka triangles on his cheeks. Hotaru couldn't hide the fact he looked handsome, and she certainly couldn't hide her arousal for him. This, was something Kiba could smell, and the corner of his mouth rose into an arrogant, crooked smile.

The alcohol had gone to Kiba's head, also. By now he had almost forgot this girl was his team mate, and more just a beautiful, available female alone in a bar.

"Come dance with me, red. Maybe your dancing will be better than your fighting."

"I'll kick your ass, Inuzuka!" She stumbled towards him, only to have him whisk her up onto his shoulders. He walked her over to the dance floor as she kicked constantly for release, before placing her down and holding her arms with his fists.

"Can you just fucking relax, red? Just dance to the music and forget about kicking my ass for five minutes." His face was close to hers, his body subtly swaying to the beat of the music.

As the music continued to fill her ears, her aggression and annoyance started to slip away. The alcohol kicked in once again, and soon enough she found herself lost. Lost in the drunken mess she had slowly deteriorated into during the past few hours.

Deep, deep down she knew this was wrong. Deep, deep down she constantly questioned what the hell she was doing. She hated Kiba! He had literally made this week for her a living hell. Yet, the feeling of his breath on her neck as their bodies ground together let her slowly forget all of the arrogant remarks, the constant bickering, and the annoying arguments the two had shared. It let her slowly slip away into a feeling of desire; forbidden, erroneous desire.

"Oh dear,"

Sakura reached for Ino's arm, pulling her away from the kiss she was sharing with Shikamaru. The tipsy blonde was annoyed at first, but once she followed the gaze of the emerald eyed pinkette, she too was frozen in a moment of horror. There, a few meters in front of them, two familiar bodies rubbed against one another on the dance floor. Not only were they familiar bodies, but they were the bodies of the most recognizable, un-pairable Genin that Konoha had.

"I can't wait to be away from you." The red head whispered in his ear. He struggled to hear her over the loud music.

"Me either, I can't fuckin' stand you." He leaned closer.

"You're the most arrogant ass hole I've ever met." She flicked her hair from her face, leaning closer as she did so.

He smirked. "I haven't met someone I've hated so much in my entire life."

"I Hate even talking to you."

Kiba's fierce amber eyes were looking directly into hers. They both couldn't take it any more. "Then don't talk."

Ino slapped Shikamaru to get his attention, who then grabbed Shino's shoulder, who then tapped Naruto and Chouji on the back. All of a sudden, all six of the underage Genin starred drunkenly at the pair on dance floor. Their eyes watched in horror as the Inuzuka smashed his lips on to hers, Hotaru's arms wrapping around his neck as she immediately allowed him entrance, leaning her body even closer into him.

The six students all struggled to come to terms with what they just witnessed, their jaws hanging open in disbelief. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

* * *

**A/N: Uh-Ohhhh! ;) Their, you all finally got a slice of your long awaited Kiba action!**

**Don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you think. ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hi guys! Sorry about the rather long time it has taken me to update. My internet is actually really dodgey at the moment, so I will only have access to Fanfiction if I'm updating from someone elses house. However, that gives me more time to write! Woo!**

**This chapter was so difficult to write... And personally, I'm not that happy with it, so don't get too excited. I've had to dribble on with a lot of boring stuff,(It just sucks having this great idea in your head, but there's so much crap you have to write about to reach that moment!) but I promise, things pick up in the next chapter. Thanks to MusicOfMadness, Kaylamrr, Kibagurl08 and Tabby34x for your reviews! You got me super motivated to write again! :)**

**Anyway guys, try to enjoy this rather long chapter. Sorry its so long! **

* * *

The sun pouring through the bedroom window held a brightness that could blind one hundred ninjas.

Well, that's what it felt like for Hotaru, anyway.

She tried to open up her heavy eyelids to distinguish the blur that surrounded her. She could only imagine what the state of her appearance would be like. Smudged make-up, overly messy hair, bad breath, a pool of dribble on her pillow; all these images stuck out to her like Sakura's hair amongst a crowd of brunettes. Her mouth was filled with the stale stench of alcohol, and held a sickly dryness to it. Her head felt as if it weighed one thousand tonnes as she tried to lift it from her pillow.

And then it registered; this wasn't her pillow.

The red head shot up, regretting her decision immediately as her head ached and spun with an unwelcomed dizziness. She was on a lounge, and it wasn't her lounge. Where the hell was she?

"Oh great, you're awake." Shikamaru groaned as he exited a kitchen.

"Shikamaru?" she asked confusingly, still trying to figure out what was happening. Was it his house she was at? And if so, why the hell was she there? "What… where am I?"

"You're at Ino's. She had to help her mum at the flower shop this morning, and apparently I had to stay here until you woke up. Troublesome, really… Did you know that you sleep walk?"

Hotaru rubbed her tired, groggy eyes. She pretty much ignored everything the Nara Genin just said about Ino and her apparent sleepwalking. "Oh man, I feel horrible… what the hell happened last night?"

Taking his seat on the burgundy lounge across from her, Shikamaru sat down and flicked on the TV. He couldn't be bothered to look at her as he spoke, or more so, he didn't really have the _guts_ to. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

Hotaru furrowed her brows, "Why? Did something bad-" she stopped talking as soon as the awful, self degrading images came flooding back to her mind. _Her hips grinding on his. His hands clenched to her waist. The rolling of their tongues. Their breath on each others necks_. Her mouth dropped, her eyes widened and her body went stiff with shock. Suddenly, she remembered. She remembered it all.

"Shikamaru," she said dryly, almost eerily. She stared at the empty space on the wall across from her. "Tell me the things I'm suddenly remembering, are all just a dream."

Now Shikamaru was tense. He knew the type of anger this girl kept inside her, and he wasn't about to become the target of its sudden release.

He swallowed. "I want nothing more than to say they were dreams, but unfortunately, they're not."

The next thing Shikamaru saw was the red head dart from her bed at an inhumane speed, in an attempt to get to the kitchen sink. Hotaru couldn't quite make out if the vomit forcing itself up through her throat was because of her hangover, or because of the face slapping truth which was the actions of her, and one Kiba Inuzuka.

* * *

Kiba had a preference to what the first things he visualized in the morning were. Naruto Uzumaki's grinning, freakish face was not one of them.

"Get the hell out of my face, loser," Kiba said as he pushed away the blondes face from his. He slowly dragged his groggy, hungover body up off of the arm chair. He knew straight away that he was at Naruto's apartment. The ever present mess and smell of moldy food was enough to give that away.

A non-hung over Shino was playing Xbox across from him. Kiba, like Hotaru, had only managed to make it to the couch before passing out. He wasn't feeling to crash hot either, as the foul taste of vodka and vomit was the only savor sinking upon his taste buds at the current time. Vomit? He must have drunk a ridiculous amount of alcohol to have actually vomited. His cheek felt sore too, yet he had no recollection of why it would be.

Naruto was still looking at him, his cheesy smirk not daring to leave the hung over face of the Inuzuka. "What the hell are you looking at?"

"Heheh, you're in looooooveee with Hotaru." Although it seemed impossible, the blondes smirk grew even wider.

And then it hit Kiba, with the same force that hit Hotaru like a tonne of bricks. The realization of the night before and their passionate actions made the future Heirs stomach drop. This wasn't good. No, no, no, this was bad. Really bad.

"I kissed Hotaru. Oh fuck, I kissed Hotaru," he ran his hands through his untamed hair, his eyes growing wide with panic. "Why the hell didn't any of you stop me!"

"You looked like you were enjoying yourself a little too much!" Naruto said before he burst into laughter.

"We did try," Shino interrupted from across the living room. He put down his controller and glared at Kiba from beneath his glasses. "You wouldn't let us take her away from you."

Kiba knew he was in the center of a huge, uncomfortable mess. This whole kissing ordeal was going to make his situation with Hotaru even more awkward, and that was the last thing he needed before the Chuunin exams. Which, may he add, was tomorrow.

He was confused and the throbbing of his head wasn't helping. Although his stomach was churning in guilty and nervous knots, one emotion he wasn't feeling was regret. Yes, he knew he shouldn't have done it, but that was hard to push past when he was so attracted to her at the club. He remembered how good she looked. It was a refreshing change from her training clothes, and the free, somewhat 'wild' spirit she became when she was drunk was invigorating. There was no denying Kiba enjoyed every minute of it.

"What the hell do I do…" the brunette mumbled, snapping himself out of his day dreams before he got too carried away. His head fell into his hands.

Shino stood from his seat and gathered his belongings. From what Kiba could see, Shino's face was sour with annoyance, and his body held a frustration that he was trying his hardest to suppress. "You forget it even happened. If she begins to yell, bicker or even look at you in a way that makes you angry, you suck it up. Don't ruin tomorrow's opportunity for Hinata and I, Kiba. We'll never let you forget it if you do."

Naruto's mouth parted as he watched the bug nin leave his apartment. The blonde had never seen such a pissed off side to the Aburame before. Actually, Naruto had barely seen any of Shino's emotions since his face was always hidden behind his clothes. Kiba on the other hand knew the bug nin well, and he knew the threatening seriousness in Shino's tone meant the Inuzuka definitely had to pull his shit together.

* * *

After Hotaru had finished walking home in her sick, hung over state, she showered and got ready for her meeting with her team. She felt one hundred percent better after cleaning herself up and having a greasy feed. Kurenai had instructed them to meet at the field the day before so she had the opportunity to wish them all luck before the exams.

As Hotaru got dressed, images of her night at the club refused to leave her mind. She could still remember the grasp Kiba had on her waist, the drunken murmurs he had whispered into her ear on the dance floor, and the way he cradled her face before he smashed his lips onto hers. All of it made her stomach drop, although it wasn't in a bad way. Hell, Hotaru had even caught herself smiling at the thought of it. However, it was strange that one girl could get so mad at herself from simply feeling happy. She was punishing herself, making sure whenever the thought of him resurfaced that she would shut it away deep within her. She wasn't meant to feel like this. She wasn't allowed to feel like this. She _shouldn't_ feel like this.

When she arrived at the field, Kiba and the others were already there. Kurenai had yet to arrive.

The day was a lot better than the previous one. The sun had covered Konoha in a blanket of its hot, summer rays. There was no wind, not a cloud in the sky, and the laughter of children could be heard in Konoha's surrounding streets. The earth beneath them was still a little sloshy as a result of the rainfall from the previous day. Chunks of grass from all around the field had been torn from its place, the consequences of Kiba and Hotaru's brutal spar. There were a few genin in the field across from them stuffing in some last minute training. Team Eight however weren't squeezing in any training, but some wise last minute words from their beloved sensei.

Shino shifted uncomfortably at Hotaru's arrival. As usual, his hands found their way to the pockets of his jacket, as his eyes directed towards Kiba from beneath their shades. He had convinced himself exactly how this would go down. The red head would come in, anger blazing, fists clenched, demanding an apology from her troublesome team mate. Being an Inuzuka, Shino knew Kiba's stubbornness would then go into overdrive, refusing to give an apology and shifting all the blame from last nights actions onto Hotaru.

This whole conversation was about to unfold before his shaded eyes, and he hated it. He had worked so hard to actually prove himself in this exam. To become noticed. And here he was, the day before, just awaiting his two team mates to ruin it for him.

As she arrived, she nodded and smiled towards Hinata, who shyly smiled back. She did the same to Shino, who as usual, said his hello's as if he hadn't witnessed a thing. Kiba didn't meet her gaze, and even though this provided her with some relief, she also couldn't help but feel a little sad over the fact he didn't want to acknowledge her.

Kiba on the other hand, could smell Hotaru coming before she even arrived at the field. His heart pounded. He carefully thought out what he was going to do from the many options he had. As soon as that familiar scent of vanilla drifted past his nose, he thought he would confront her. Tell her that she came on to him, and that he was willing to forget her promiscuous actions if she was willing to put it behind her. No, that would never work. What happens if she distinctively remembered that he was the one who came on to her? Then that option may as well be thrown away. But what if she couldn't remember at all? Should he just carry on like nothing even happened? Because after all, she was pretty drunk. Maybe she couldn't remember a thing?

No, that wouldn't work either. He could smell that she was sweating slightly, and it wasn't due to the heat. It was combined with the distinct smell of nervousness. _Damn it_, he thought, realizing that she was just as embarrassed as him. _She must know too_.

As she approached, he decided on not even making eye contact with her. He noticed she was a little put off by this. He could smell a type of sadness emitting from her. Was it the smell of sadness? The Inuzuka could pick up on a change in her scent, although he couldn't quite distinguish it. It was as if her original scent of vanilla had turned sour.

He had to ignore her though. If he didn't acknowledge her, then he would avoid conversation, and avoiding conversation meant avoiding the subject and the embarrassing wrath which was last night.

"You all know why you are gathered here today, and I want to individually let you all know how proud I am, of every single one of you."

Kurenai stood proudly in front of her four students, looking at each of their strong, honored faces. The three students she was assigned to the day they graduated the academy were now on their way to becoming Chuunin. They were now young adults in her eyes and she couldn't be more proud of them. Hotaru's case was different, as Kurenai had not been given the pleasure to work with her for a long time, but she was still proud none-the-less. She had gone from the quiet, aggravated girl who arrived in Konoha, to opening up and giving the people here a chance. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

Her ruby eyes wandered over to the petite Hyuga girl sitting to her left. Her wide, violet eyes looked up at her sensei with nervousness. "Hinata," Kurenai started, smiling warmly. "You have grown into such a beautiful, strong woman. You might not realize it, and you may constantly question your strengths and abilities, but you are strong. Not just physically, but mentally. You make me more and more proud everyday; never giving up and trying to prove your worth throughout every training session and every class. You make me so pleased with your progress, Hinata, and I'm sure you'll do fine in this exam. I'm so proud of you."

The violet eyed girl blushed, fumbling with her fingers. She redirected her glance to the ground, feeling somewhat embarrassed as her sensei spoke, and smiled proudly. "Thank y-you, Kurenai Sensei."

Her eyes then wandered towards Shino. "Ah, Shino," she began for the second time. She folded her arms against her chest. "The young Aburame Heir. Your skill with your bugs is flawless. Your sense of calm during situations that would stress even a Jounin like myself out is brilliant. You have the skill and intelligence of a true leader, Shino. You really do. I know for a fact you'll do me proud in this exam, and have a strong input to this team's success. You won't go unnoticed, I promise you this."

No one could really tell if Shino was smiling behind the collar of his coat, although Kiba picked up on a massive sense of pride swelling within the bug nin's heart. Shino was excited for this exam, it was just super rare of him to show it.

Ruby eyes wandered down the line to a handsome Inuzuka. His canines peeped from the corners of his mouth, a proud and smug expression settled within his grin. "And how could one avoid Kiba Inuzuka," Kurenai laughed. "We've definitely had our differences, whether that be at training or in the class room. You have to be in the top three fastest genin this village has to offer. But one thing I know for sure is your passion to fight, and your big, strong, competitive heart. You protect your team with everything within you, despite any dissimilarities you have with them, because that is you. You're an Inuzuka. You'll make your clan proud, Kiba, I know you will."

"You bet I will, Kurenai! Shino, Hinata, Hotaru and myself have this in the bag!" He was smiling widely now, patting Akamaru on the head as he radiated confidence. That was the moment that Kurenai trusted one hundred percent in her team. To hear Kiba include Hotaru in a sentence without it being followed by a scarastic comment meant that her team would be perfectly fine.

A sense of acceptance filled Hotaru's heart. Kiba had included her, and he had not used her name in the same sentence as an arrogant comment. It made her smile to see how happy he was with himself and those around him.

"And last but not least, we have you, Hotaru Ataturi." Ruby eyes focussed on green ones. "It has only been a week since you joined team eight, but I can tell by standing in front of you all today, that you have learnt a lot in that time. Your way with those chains is magnificent. It is an art not many ninja can master, and you wield them with a delicacy a ninja would envy. I'll admit, your communication with the other three worried me at first, but you have grown. The brat I was introduced to a week ago is now a feisty woman, ready to kick some serious butt in these exams. Assist your team tomorrow, Hotaru, and prove to them that you are their match. You are their friend. You are their team mate."

"Hai, Kurenai sensei," Hotaru answered, her smile almost covering her face.

When Kiba caught hold of her smile, he couldn't find anything that was more worth looking at. Rarely had he seen the beautiful smile of the feisty red head, aside from the drunken grin she wore at the club. But this, this was a smile of pure excitement, of raw, sober honor, and he couldn't bring himself to look away.

* * *

"Wake up Red, today's the day."

Genma was surprised to see Hotaru sit up straight away. It was a pleasant change from her hurling objects at him, staring daggers or cursing at him to leave her alone as she buried herself back underneath the mess of blankets that covered her bed.

But today Genma noticed an excitement in her eyes. She was sleepy, but the Jounin could definitely tell she was trying hard to suppress her tiredness. He knew exactly what she was feeling, really, because he could remember himself feeling precisely the same when he first took the exam many years ago.

The early morning air was cold, although the temperature in Hotaru's apartment was a little more bearable. The streets outside her window weren't busy yet as the elderly people who prepared the stores that lined the streets were all still fast asleep. Her bed was warm, but the excitement that swirled within her chest was burning hot, and that's what made her jump from her comfortable bed and onto the cold floorboards of her apartment. She couldn't help but smirk with anticipation.

"Atta girl kiddo, come get some breakfast." Genma paused as he cut Hotaru's mango in half, slicing cubes into the skin just the way she liked it. "By the way, are you aware that you sleep walk?"

Hotaru's brows furrowed as she remembered Shikamaru mentioning the exact same thing yesterday morning. "I'm sure I don't sleepwalk, Genma." She grabbed her clothes and headed into the bathroom to get changed. "And even if I did, you shouldn't be in my apartment so damn early to realize it. How do you keep getting in?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out." The Elite Jounin smirked and took his seat at the dining table. He slid the red head her bowl as she exited the bathroom and took her seat. Her green eyes lit up at the sight of her favorite food, and she smiled as she demolished her breakfast as quick as she could. Genma couldn't help but laugh as her face became sticky with the juices of the tropical fruit.

"You really aren't a lady, are you Red." He laughed, leaning back in his chair.

She wiped the fruit from the corner off her mouth, before peering up at her Jounin friend with a goofy grin. "I'm a ninja, not a lady."

She felt excited as the words left her mouth, images of the exam filling her thoughts. She couldn't wait to show them all what she was capable of, and represent Weaponry Canyon's with pride. She was hoping to impress Kurenai, impress the Hokage, and something within her also wanted to impress Kiba. The dog boy seemed to play on her mind a lot since their night at the club.

Her excitement was short lived, however, as she knew two people she wasn't going to be impressing that day were her parents. Hotaru knew she would be in their thoughts, but a thought felt no where near as great as being told how proud they were of her in person. She felt angry; angry that they were selfish enough to leave her behind and go back to the village, and angry that they weren't going to be supporting their only daughter during her first Chuunin exam.

"Red," Genma said softly as he stood in front of her. He decided to interrupt her train of thought when he picked up on her change of mood. "You know if your parents could be here, they would be."

"Then why aren't they? " She scoffed in reply. She started to wrap her palms and wrists in her training bandages.

"Because they know you're perfectly capable of these exams. They have no doubt that you'll be fine. On the other hand, the Canyons are under possible invasion. Your village needs them a lot more than you do."

She understood what Genma was saying, and didn't dwell on the subject any further. He was right; Weaponry Canyon's was definitely not a superior village of any kind, and the ninja there were only mediocre at best. They didn't know the full extent to who they would be going up against and they needed all the help they could get.

As she finished wrapping her training bandages, she looked up at Genma who was standing before her. The day outside was getting lighter and time was getting on. The Chuunin exams were drawing closer.

"What's the goofy look for?" she asked with a smirk. The Jounin smiled and continued to softly look down upon her.

"I'm just proud of you, Hotaru. You've come a long way in a week."

"How? I'm still the same old me, and you're the same old sleezy stalker ninja who always finds a way into my apartment."

"Ouch," Genma said as he tried to hold back fits of laughter. "I may be the same old 'sleezy stalker', but you've changed. You smile a lot now. It was almost impossible to get one of those out of you a week ago."

She tried to hide her blush, but when Hotaru's face went the same color as her hair, it was impossible to go un-noticed. She appreciated that people were beginning to take a liking to her but she didn't like how soft she was becoming. It was, in her mind, a little embarrassing.

"Come here," Genma pulled her Leaf Village forehead protector out of her draw. He walked over to her, brushing her messy red hair from her small face before wrapping the band around her head. Her hair gently fell back over the top of it as her green eyes stared up at him with curiosity. "I know that you're adamant about remaining a Weaponry Canyon ninja. But you _were _born here, remember that. Wear it over the next week for your team, Hotaru."

She nodded as her fierce eyes grew with excitement. "Of course, Genma."

He smiled, pulling Her into a hug and planting a playful kiss on her forehead. "Go get'em, Red."

* * *

The large hall was crawling with Genin from across the entire country.

She glanced around to have a good look at the teams she was able to see. To the left of the room, tall, lean, pail Genin from the Village hidden in the Mist all gathered around each other. There appeared to be four teams that had been selected to participate in the exam form that Village, which was certainly a lot considering they weren't known to be as successful as the Leaf. Hotaru couldn't seem to distinguish anything too odd about the group of Genin. There was no eerie feel, no dangerous vibe, and as of yet, no visual or verbal threats.

A team of Hidden Stone Village ninja stood chatting reasonably close to the Mist Genin, although they didn't interact with them. The Genin appeared normal; there were no distinctive or threatening traits from any of the three.

Hotaru felt eyes on her, and they weren't coming from any of her team mates. Adjusting her gaze to the center of the room, the red head saw a team of Rain Village Genin, their creepy, masked faces looking away as soon as her eyes settled upon them. Her heart dropped at the recognition of their forehead protectors, and images of Sakamaii came flooding back to her mind.

"Hotaru,"

Thankfully, a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts before they turned into anger. Behind her, she spun to see Shino standing with his hands placed within his pockets. The bug nin knew exactly what the red head was thinking about. He had watched her secretly as she eyed most of the Genin who filled the room individually, figuring out who would play a threat, who would make an ally, and if she could recognize any familiar Genin. He knew as soon as her eyes landed on the Rain Village nin that her mind would be flooded with thoughts, as the color drained from her usually tanned face.

"Shino," she replied, the colors in her face returning as she focused on him. "What's up?"

"Don't think about her. You can't let it get to your head." His eerie voice was stern, but it held an understanding softness to it. He knew she would be hurting.

"I'm not letting anything get to me, Shino. I'm here to pass today."

"Good. The others are heading over to the table near the door. When you're done here, come join us." He motioned his head to the entrance door. Hotaru could see Sakura and Ino already sitting there chatting, with Naruto, Sasuke and Chouji sitting across from them. The red head nodded, before Shino turned to leave.

Behind the rain village ninja stood a team of Sand ninja. Hotaru recognized them instantly. The team form Suna attended the same Genin program Hotaru did when she lived back at the Canyons. She didn't know them well, but she knew they were dangerous. Brutal. Ruthless. She was told that the team received special educating and training because they were the children of the Kazekage, which is why she didn't see them much when she was at school. Actually, she was glad she didn't see them much. They were not a group she pictured herself hanging around.

Dodgy looking sound ninja stood beside the Suna nin, and river village Genin beside them. But what really made Hotaru's heart skip with excitement was the recognizable forehead protectors of a group of ninja to the right of the room. The forehead protectors, with a Sai knife edged into the steel plate. The forehead protectors, of those from Weaponry Canyon's.

Her mouth turned into a smile as she went to run over to them. But before she could, a hand grabbed tightly on to hers, pulling her back with a hard jerk.

"What the?" she said as she turned to see who it was. She was shocked to see Kiba staring directly at something behind her, a tight grip still locked on her hand. "Kiba?"

"I don't want you going over to them Sand village ninja. They're bad news." His voice held a deep growl as his brown eyes remained fiercely fixed on the Suna nin.

"Easy there dog boy, I wasn't planning on it." She tried to pull her hand out from his.

Realizing how tight his grip was, Kiba snapped from his protective daze and focused his vision on the floor. "Uh, well, yeah… Just stay away from them. I mean it."

Hotaru found the way he fumbled on his words cute. Her chest fluttered at how protective he appeared to be, but it angered her to know he didn't think she could look after herself. Being beaten by both Shino and Kiba had made Hotaru appear vulnerable and weak, and she did not want to give off that impression.

"I can look after myself, Kiba."

His eyebrows furrowed at her tone of voice. "What are you talking about?"

"I don't need you watching my every move, I'm not weak. I can handle a situation like this on my own."

He gritted his teeth as anger began to rise within him once more. As soon as he thought Hotaru had begun to open up, let down her walls and drop her awful attitude, he was hit with a wave of disappointment. She still was the self-reliant, angry bitch he met a week ago.

"You're my team mate, Hotaru. I was looking out for you, but trust you to turn that in to something negative. I'm done here."

The Inuzuka turned to leave, Hotaru sensing the frustration in his voice. She instantly felt bad. As soon as the words left her mouth she knew she had made a mistake and regretted it instantly. Had she just dug up the tension she had only just recently buried with Kiba? This was not what she needed, not ten minutes before the exam was about to start, and she felt like a fucking idiot. He was only being protective of her… why did she have to retaliate? Hell, she liked that he was being over protective. It gave her a sense of comfort. There were times she hated her pride, and right now was one of them.

"Well well well, look who we have here."

A tall lanky girl with short, brown, boyish hair walked up to Hotaru with a devilish grin plastered across her face. Behind her stood a shorter girl, although a little taller than Hotaru, with dirty blonde hair in two plats. The third girl was also blonde, but had freckles and short frizzy hair hoisted up into a pony tail. Each of the girls wore similar black training pants to Hotaru's, and dirty brown Tank tops. "If it isn't Weaponry Canyon's pride and joy."

"I can't believe the three of you are here." Hotaru smiled, although she never embraced any of her fellow village friends. Weaponry Canyon ninja weren't very affectionate, but that didn't stop Hotaru from feeling somewhat happy that the three were taking the exam.

"You may get the privilege of training with a posh academy, Hotaru, but that doesn't make us push overs. Of course we're taking this exam." Replied the girl with boyish hair. Kaede was the elder sister of the three girls. They all looked nothing alike, however when it came to their cocky, somewhat jealous personalities, one could definitely tell they were all related.

Kana was the second eldest, and Kotori, the blonde with the plats, was the youngest of the three. Hotaru didn't associate with the sisters all that often at Weaponry Canyon's but she knew them well. They were her neighbors for quite some time, and it was during that time that the sisters came to grow jealous of Hotaru and her talent with one of the hardest weapons within the village to master.

Ignoring her friends subtle jealousy, Hotaru proceeded with conversation. She was eager to find out what things back at home had been like since she left. "How are things back at the Canyon's? Has much changed?"

Kana, the chubbier girl with the freckles, was first to respond. "It's weird, to be honest. No ones out causing mischief anymore. The invasion threats had everyone scared for a long time."

"Yeah, and we're being made to go to the Genin program a lot more. It's stupid." Kotori added.

"And what about you? Have you been busy parading around your silly chains?" Kaede added as she folded her arms. "…or have you been parading around with that boy with the dog over there? You seem to look like a girl now. Gross."

Hotaru laughed at Kaedes attempted insults. "Oh Kaede, you haven't changed a bit. Still a bitch, I see."

The boyish teen rolled her eyes before Hotaru continued. "Where are the boys? Why isn't Raiden and Sadao here taking the exam?"

A type of sadness washed upon the girls faces, making Hotaru feel uneasy. For some reason, she didn't like what she was about to hear.

"There was an explosion within the village last night. A building near the Meijinkage's office collapsed. No one could find out who did it, and it's suspected that it was an invasion warning, or even worse, an attempt. All the boys were asked to stay back in case something serious happened."

Hotaru's heart sank, thinking of her best friends fighting, and even worse, her parents. It was the last thing she wanted to hear before the exam. Weaponry Canyon's was too rural, and too uncultured to be able to call in other villages for assistance, and it sickened her that they had to fight this on their own.

"Looks like it's about to start," Kaede said as she watched a large man walk to the front of the Hall. "Guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah, " Hotaru replied, smirking. "Good luck, you'll need it."

She waved her goodbyes before heading over to the table her Leaf Village friends were seated at. Ino and Sakura winked at her, giggling as they reminded her of the night they all went out and she made out with Kiba. It was the first time she had seen the pair of girls since it happened. Hotaru's face went red with embarrassment as she remembered, and she thought for sure Kiba would hear them and join in on the fun. But the Inuzuka sat staring at the front of the hall, his expression still angry from Hotaru's mood swing from earlier. Her face saddened, and Sakura picked up on it. The pinkette leaned over to ask what was wrong, but Hotaru quickly hushed her. "I'll tell you later."

The pinkette nodded with understanding, leaning back into her spot on the table. All the eyes of the rookie ten focused on the large men dressed in a black drench coat standing in front of the students.

The classroom fell dead silent.

"Welcome, Genin, to the first part of the Chuunin Exams."

* * *

Please leave a review guys! And if you do, let me know if the chapters are getting too long, or if you enjoy them more. If they are a little long, Ill cut them down a bit. R&R! :)


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